Jake after the Nurses' Ball Liason
by notenoughlove
Summary: The storyline belongs to Through the Mirror Darkly. The characters belong to ABC and General Hospital. Nik tells Jake the truth about his identity and not Elizabeth. This is what I wish happened on the tv. Jason gets his memories and chooses Elizabeth over Sam. I hope you like it.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my take on what "Through the Mirror Darkly" has started with in her story "Pointing Fingers Often Get Broken". I do not own this storyline or characters. The storyline belongs to Through the Mirror Darkly and the characters belong to ABC and General Hospital. This is going to be a story of Nik telling Jason at the Nurses' Ball and how he felt about the news that he was Jason Morgan.**

The night of the Nurses' Ball was one of Elizabeth's favorite nights of the year. She had loved it when she first came to Port Charles and then Lucy moved away and it ended for a while. When her friend, Sabrina wanted it started again for Emma, it was a great night for everyone all over again. She was excited to see it and even though her and Jake were not together, she was happy that she knew he would be there.

She was dating Ric again and something kept telling her that he was a big mistake. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but sometimes the man just seemed too good to be true and then she finds that he usually isn't that great of a man. She hoped that she was wrong. Cameron was excited because he got to be with Emma that night. Molly and TJ were there and the excitement was building.

Jake was there with Hayden who he believed was his wife. The thing that he didn't understand was the fact that he didn't remember her at all but he felt that he knew Elizabeth. It could be because she was the last person he saw when he went into surgery and the first face he saw when he woke up. He felt like they knew each other and he believed and loved her. She stood by him when no one except Carly would. She trusted him with her children and home. She believed in him when he didn't even believe in himself. Why couldn't she be his wife and not Hayden.

The two of them watched as Ric proposed to Elizabeth. He saw that she was happy but a little sad at the same time. Then Carly came onto the stage and everyone found out that Jake was not Hayden's husband. Carly found the man that posed as Jake before the surgery and he told everyone that Ric paid him and Hayden to pretend to be this couple for the wedding shoot. It was all a ruse to get Jake away from Elizabeth.

Jake saw how devastated Elizabeth was when she realized that she had been tricked again. He watched her run out of the room and he wanted to comfort her. When he got out of the room he saw Nik. Nik wanted to speak to him alone.

"Nik, this isn't the time to talk to me. I have to go see how Elizabeth is and help her get over Ric."

"I think that you need to know who you truly are and then you can do what you need to do. The truth is you are really married but not to Hayden. You are married to my cousin, Samantha Morgan. You are Jason Morgan. I don't know why my grandmother did this to you but I do know that you are Jason Morgan because she told me you were and I have your wedding ring to prove it to you."

"I know that your grandmother had me brainwashed to do her bidding but now you are telling me the reason she did it was because I am Jason Morgan. I have heard enough stories about him that I realize that he could have done all the things that I did without thinking but why would she do this and why are you telling me now. Did you just find out about it?"

"I have known for a little while but I tried to forget about it. I know that it was wrong but when I saw what Ric did to you and to Elizabeth, I knew I had to tell you the truth. I am sorry for holding on to this for so long but you have to understand that I am under a lot of pressure due to my upbringing. Now you can tell everyone or not. I am not here to judge you but I know that you need to know this and I am going now."

Jake just stood there stunned. He couldn't believe that he was truly Jason Morgan. What did that mean now? He realized that he was married to someone that he barely knew and didn't really get along with and that she was happy. He did understand why Danny was so attached to him. It made a lot of sense that his young son would realize who he was and no one else. It was just a feeling that the young boy had about him.

Elizabeth asked Patrick if he could take Cameron home. She just wanted to be alone. She knew that everyone was laughing at her behind her back because she fell for his story again. Her life could never be easy because she kept falling into the same patterns that she had before.

Elizabeth went home and took off her ball gown. She got into her tub and just stayed there trying to erase that night. She thought she heard a knock on the door and went to put something on.

"Wait a minute, I am coming." She reached the door and saw Jake on the other side. She let him in and he could tell that she had been crying.

"I am so sorry about Ric. Well, okay maybe not but I am sorry about what he did to you. You deserve so much better."

"Thank you for that. Jake, you are just the man I needed to see. I guess now you are finally free of Hayden. That must make you feel better. I believed everything the two of them said to me. How stupid can I be? I guess I deserve it because of the things that I have done in my past."

Jason looked into her eyes and for the first time, he knew that he was Jason and that Elizabeth was the one person he wanted to be with. He just didn't know how to tell her the truth and what he expected from her or from Sam. He was totally confused on both parts. He knew that he didn't love Sam and even though his memories were starting to come back, he knew that his true feelings were for Elizabeth.

"I want to know how I can help you right now? Is there any place you would like to go or anything you would like to do?"

"I just want you to hold me Jake. I thought I wanted to be alone but with you here, I know that the only thing that I want right now is you. Can you do that for me? I am not sure what I actually need from you but I want you to sleep with me tonight and just hold me. Tell me that I am going to be okay and I will believe you."

"I can do that for you. Would you like to go away for the day tomorrow? I could take you on my bike and we could go for a ride to nowhere."

Elizabeth just looked at him real funny. "A ride to nowhere? Are you talking about taking a ride and not knowing where you are going to you get there or are you talking about the place "Nowhere" where Jason and I used to ride too? Did I even tell you about that place? I am sorry I didn't mean to say that. It's just a place that Jason and I would go too. I go there alone sometimes but never with anyone else."

"I think I might have heard you say something about "nowhere" when you talking about Jason. It just came right out of my mouth. I hope I didn't overstep." He was going to have to play it cool so he wouldn't give himself away till he was ready.

"It is okay. I was just thrown for a second. Are you ready to go to bed? I think that I have had enough tonight." Just then the doorbell rang. It was Patrick coming over to get some clothes for Cameron to spend the night.

"Hi! I just wanted to get Cam some clothes and when do you want to get him tomorrow. I plan on taking Emma to a movie and we could take Cam and bring him back afterwards. We should be home around three if that sounds good."

"Thanks, Patrick. Jake planned on taking me for a ride on his motorcycle. I am not sure exactly when we are going but we could meet you guys at Kelly's for three tomorrow afternoon. It should give us plenty of time to go for our ride and come back. I appreciate you taking care of my son like this."

"I am glad that Jake is here to keep you company. I am also glad that Ric is out of your life and Hayden too. You never can tell what is going on in that man's head."

Jake brought down the clothes for Cam and Patrick took off. "I think we need to lock up and try this bed thing out again."

Elizabeth and Jake then headed upstairs and fell asleep in each other's arms. Jason started to have a dream but he was not alone in this dream.

 _"Elizabeth, you need to come here and tell me again what you just said. I think my hearing is a little bit off. It must be because of our sons running around us."_

 _"I told you that I loved you and that we are having another baby. We have our three boys but I think we need a girl too. I need a girl because there are too many boys' things around here and I want a girl to spoil and pamper like you do our sons."_

 _The two of them had fought tooth and nail to get where they were and Jason was not going to let go. He loved his family and was excited because Elizabeth was going to have another child with him. They had been married for a year and it seemed like everything was falling into place._

 _Elizabeth gave up nursing but when into interior designing and also back to painting. He had a home built for them at Vista Point and it was truly a work of art in itself. Elizabeth had her studio in back of their home and Jason went into the security business with Spinelli._

 _His first client was ELQ and then it just blossomed from there. His favorite thing to do was putting in security systems in the new houses. There were a couple of new developments and Jason worked his butt off to get the contractors to let him put in his new security systems._

 _He even got work from Sonny and the five families. They loved the work that Spinelli and Jason did for them and referred them to their friends. Their operation was small at first but now it had grown to ten installers, marketing team and a legal team. They also had secretaries and someone to answer the phones._

 _Elizabeth helped design their new home and also his office space. The boys were in school so when Elizabeth was doing her interior design work she was painting in her studio._

 _"I want to tell you that you made the most beautiful bride that I have ever seen. I have seen a lot of them too but you were perfect. I just wish that my dad, sister and grandparents were there to see you."_

 _"I know that they saw us. They just had better seats than everyone else. I told you that I had a dream about Emily right before our wedding. She wanted us to know that she would be there with us. She also told me in a dream last night that I was getting my little girl and we were naming her Lila after your grandmother."_

 _"I love that idea. I know that my grandmother would be very pleased about that. Do you think that we should get you a doctor's appointment so we can see how our little angel is doing?"_

 _"I have an appointment with Kelly this coming Friday. I made it for that day because the boys will be in school and you have a light day at work. Spinelli already informed me that you have no appointments that afternoon. I give him his orange soda and he tells me everything."_

 _"I am going to have to take his orange soda away because I could accidently tell him about a Christmas present I have for you and then you would know before you unwrap it at Christmas. I am not having that happen again."_

 _"Oh, you need to give Spinelli a break. Remember he left Washington to be here with you. Although it makes it easier for him to co-parent with Maxie and Nathan. I am so happy that Ellie got a new job here so he didn't have to leave her."_

 _"You are too sweet. I think that we should see if the boys want to go swimming in our pool. It is the surest way to get out all of their excess energy. I am so glad that you talked me into having a swimming pool indoors and outdoors. The weather maybe frightful outside but it is delightful in here."_

 _"If you let me have my way, I would decorate down here too. I guess I can't do that to your man-cave. I am looking forward to Christmas this year. It is just two weeks away. The boys have already written to Santa, so we know what to get them. I also have your present planned and it is perfect. Just you wait and see."_

 _"I have yours too. I think that we need a family vacation before we have our little girl. I was thinking that we could take a ride to California, so you can see Robin and Cam can see Emma. I know how much he misses her."_

 _"That sounds great but can we also stop in Vegas. I want to check out the new hotel that Sonny built. I heard that it is absolutely beautiful and the design was by Carly. I have to go check that out."_

 _"It is opening the first week of March. We can fly to Vegas first and then go to California. I think that would be the best. I just have to ask if you mind if we take Danny. He loves to fly and I know that he would love to see everything with us. Sam is being nice for a change so I need to bring Danny while I have a chance. She usually is not in this good of a mood but I think that is because she finally found someone who gets her and loves her anyway."_

 _"You know I love Danny and have no problems taking him with us. I did talk to Sam the other day and she is going to let Danny spend a few hours with us on Christmas Eve. She also asked if we could watch him New Year's Eve because she has a date that night. I told her that we would love that. We like low-key New Year Eve's anyway so it will work out perfectly."_

 _Jason just looked at her and pulled her into him for a long hot kiss. She was so sweet but when they kissed she was hot. The two of them gathered the boys and went into their home. The boys changed into their swimsuits and so did their parents. There was a tiny bump already that Jason could see. The boys just thought that mom was gaining some weight. They would never tease her about that because they believed their mom was the most awesome mom in the world. They also thought that their dad was the smartest because he picked their mom over Sam._

Then his phone rang and woke Jason out of his dream.

He saw that the call was from Carly and she wondered how he was doing. "I hope that I didn't wake you but I was worried about you. Are you okay? Just answer me and I will let you go back to whatever you were doing."

"I am fine Carly. I am over at Elizabeth's house. I am trying to make sure that she is okay after what happened with Ric. I can't believe that he would do something like this again to her."

"What do you mean, again? Did she tell you that he has done this to her before, many times over but in different ways? He even kidnapped me and chained me to a wall in their home. That man will never learn."

"I can't remember exactly but I can tell by the way she acted that he has hurt her before. I have to go. I will call you later, Carly."

He got off the phone and got out of her bed. He went downstairs and tried to think. He was remembering more and he wished he could say something but what would he say. He saw her come downstairs with a strange look on her face.

"Jake, are you leaving or just trying to put your thoughts together? You have that look that I have seen before on Jason, when he wanted to tell me something but wasn't sure how too. I am sorry, you aren't him. It's just that you have some of the same mannerisms as he does. Do you want to have a drink? I think I could use a cup of hot chocolate. I could get you a beer. I have some in the fridge."

"Yeah, I could use a beer. Do you really think that I act like him? I mean with everything that he has done to hurt you and others in this town. I am not sure how I feel about that."

"I didn't mean it like that. It is just when you are thinking about saying something, you look like he did when he was trying to say something not to hurt anyone's feelings and you could almost feel what he was trying to say even before he said it."

"Oh, I guess I understand that. I want you to know that I love you Elizabeth. You are my best friend and I hope someday that you will think of me that way too."

"I already do. You are the sweetest, kindest man that I know. Just be you and we will be fine."


	2. Chapter 2

Jason knew that he needed to decide what to do with his life. He went to see his mother, Monica. He needed her to know that she had one child that was still alive. He just couldn't tell anyone else.

He made it to the door and Alice let him in. "Your mother is in the study, but you have to hurry because she will be leaving for work soon." Jason walked into the study and saw his mother looking at the photos of her family. It was just her and Tracy left now.

"I want to tell you something but you have to promise not to tell anyone else until I figure what I want to do with my life. I just found out something last night and you are going to be shocked."

His mother looked at him and she knew deep down that the news was something everyone would want to hear. "Okay, I promise not to tell anyone."

"I am your son, Jason Quartermaine. Nicholas told me the truth last night and when I went to see Elizabeth after her break-up with Ric, my memories started coming back. I even remember my time as Jason Quartermaine. I do not want to go back to Jason Morgan. I would be proud to be Jason Quartermaine again." Monica just took him in her arms and cried.

"I thought that you reminded me of him but I didn't want to press. I am so glad but I am confused about why you don't want to let anyone else know?"

"I want to tell Elizabeth and Sam but I know that Elizabeth will step aside and let me go be with Sam but I don't think that is what I want to do. Actually, I know that I don't want to do that because I am not that Jason anymore. I am different and the things that I loved as Jason Morgan are totally different that Jason Quartermaine. I think that Jake is a cross between the two and I need to be Jake for a just a little while longer. I know that I don't belong in Sonny's world anymore but I am not sure exactly where I belong. I was thinking about going a totally new route. I think that building things would be a good way to make up for what I have done. I am not proud of the things that I did for Sonny and Carly. I am also not proud of the way I treated my family and also Elizabeth. I have loved her since that night I saved her in Jake's. She is my angel and I need her light in my life. Sam was good for Jason Morgan but I don't think that she could fit in my world as Jason Quartermaine. I do want a relationship with my son, Danny. I am just confused but I am glad that I told you the truth."

Jason hugged his mother and left for Elizabeth's house. He got there just as Elizabeth was getting ready to get her boys. "I loved last night. Thank you for being there for me. I just feel that you are keeping something from me and I don't know why. It is a weird feeling and I don't like it. I guess when you are ready you will tell me.

"Elizabeth, stop. There are so many things that I want to tell you. I just have to find where my head is and then I promise you that I will tell you what I need to tell you. I will give you some space. I am going back to the Metro Court for a few days and then I will tell you everything. I do want to tell you something and I need you to hear me. I love you Elizabeth Webber. I love you with all that I have and I want you to know that you have my heart."

Elizabeth looked at him and felt this peace come over her. She felt it was a sign but she didn't know if it was from Jason or Emily. She looked deep into his blue eyes that reminded her so much of Jason. "I love you too, Jake Doe. I want you to know that and when you are ready to tell me, I will be ready to listen. You have my heart too."

Elizabeth went to see Patrick and picked up Cameron and then went to Audrey's and picked up Aiden. Her grandmother looked at Elizabeth and realized that her granddaughter was in love and it was not with Ric. She had heard all about the fiasco from Cameron. She knew that she had feelings for Jake and figured that who she was in love with and she was happy with that. Her granddaughter needed someone who loved her and got her.

Jason went over to the Metro Court and saw Carly. He looked at his best friend from his past and realized that he still cared a lot for her but she was not the one that made him who he was and that was Elizabeth. He just had to figure out what to do about Sam.

"I see you are back here. I am glad about that but I guess things didn't go well with Elizabeth. I will stand by you, don't you worry."

"Carly, do you know how I could get in touch with Diane Miller? I need her advice on something. I just can't tell anyone right now about it."

"Yeah, I have her in my contact list. You might have to go to New York City because that is where she is based right now. Good luck."

Jason took her information and went to his room. He called Diane and made an appointment for the next day. He knew that he was going to have fly out either that evening or early the next morning. Then he decided maybe he would just get on his motorcycle and drive there. He would be outside enjoying the wind and maybe he could slow down the thoughts in his head. He had some money and got himself a hotel room in New York near the address of Diane's office.

He stopped and thanked Carly on his way out and got on his motorcycle and drove to New York City. He went over what he was going to talk to Diane about and he knew that she was the best person for it. She knew Jason and could already figure out what she needed to do without even asking him.

When he got to his motel room, it was just a small room with a television, bed and bathroom. That was all he needed for now. He knew that he had a lot of money but that never made a difference in his life. He just wanted his name back and his life.

He got some take out and went to his room to sleep.

 _He fell asleep and woke up in his wife's bed. She had just finished making breakfast and Danny ran into his bedroom. "C'mon dad! Mom has breakfast on the table and then you need to go see Uncle Sonny. Then we will go to the pier and watch the boats come in."_

 _Jason followed Danny into the kitchen. Sam was wearing his t-shirt and singing to herself. "Okay, it is usually me that oversleeps but I guess you need to sleep in once in a while. Sonny is stopping over here after breakfast. He has something important to talk to you about. I know that you plan on taking Danny to watch the boats but I think that you should find us a new place to live. I know her memories are all around here but she is gone. I am sorry that you couldn't save her and her sons but you are not their father and she is not your wife. I am your wife and you had to choose. I am glad that you choose Danny and me over her and her brood._

" _I am confused. Did you just call Elizabeth a cow and her sons a brood? Jake was my son too and I watched him die, not once but twice. I still don't understand how this happened. She told me that she loved me and wanted a life with me. We were going to leave town and before that could happen, she was murdered with her three sons. Jake finally came back to us. Why would anyone kill them?"_

 _He looked at her and realized that she may have had a hand in their murders. He didn't want to believe it but the way she talked about them it was like they were problems that needed to go away and they did._

 _Sonny stopped in and he went with Jason to his office. "The deal is all set. You are getting your own territory and we are merging the Jerome family and my family together. Julian is in jail and so as the son-in-law, you can have his people. We will have one of the biggest territories around. I am happy that Sam was able to make the deal with her father. She just asked him for a favor before that happened and now everything is the way it should have been. Sam is a great asset for us. Sometimes, I wish Carly could help me like Sam does for you."_

" _I am going to ask this one time. You need to tell me the truth or I will find out the truth and you and I will no longer be speaking. Did Sam order Elizabeth and her sons murdered? Jake was one of them and he was my son too. I need to know that my wife would never do something like that to hurt me."_

" _Okay. She needed a favor and that was to get rid of your other family. They needed to go because she found out about you wanting to leave with them. We couldn't let that happen so we called in a couple of favors and now it is over. There is no going back and no need to go back. They were in the way for our family. I know that you understand that. I also know that Elizabeth would never put you first. She is too weak to handle this type of life."_

 _Jason looked at Sonny and realized that he had lost everything. He no longer wanted to be there but with his family gone, he just wanted to shut down. He felt that his life didn't have purpose anymore. The only problem was Danny. Danny was his son and if he just left, then it would hurt Danny and he didn't want to do that. He was torn about what to do. He needed to think about his life but he couldn't stay in Port Charles when he wanted to kill his best friend and his wife. They took away his family and his heart._

" _Sonny, I need to go. I promised to take Danny to the pier to watch the boats. I will talk to you later or maybe never. I don't know. You should have killed me too. I know what you have done and I am not sure what to do about it but you and Sam will never be a part of my life. I am leaving. I am not sure where but I will not take over the Jerome territory and I will not stay married to a monster who kills women and children. This is something we promised each other that we would never do."_

 _Jason took Danny to the pier. He watched the boats with Danny and told him that no matter what happens, he will always love him. Jason sees Nik come to shore. "Let's go say hi to your cousin. Hi Nik! I have to talk to you in private. There is something going on and I know who had Elizabeth and our sons killed. I just can't say it here in the open. After I take Danny to his grandmother's house, I need to see you. Can you meet me at the gatehouse on my mother's property in two hours? It is very important."_

 _Nik was intrigued by what Jason had said and told him that he would. Jason then took Danny for an ice cream sundae at Kelly's. The two of them sat together and Jason felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. He didn't know if he was going to disappear or kill himself. There was so much sadness in his life and he wanted revenge on Sam and Sonny. He had a tape recording of Sonny admitting to setting up Elizabeth and her sons. He wanted Sam and him to pay for what they had done. Jason was going to let his mother listen to the tape. He wanted her to take care of Danny when this all went down. He was then going to let Nik listen so when she went to see Nik to help her get out of trouble, he wouldn't help her. I also wanted her mother to hear it and then he was going to give it to the police._

 _When all of that happened, it was going to disappear. He would get on his motorcycle and keep going._

 _He saw his mother and she was so happy to see him and Danny. She was wondering why he was there with Danny and Sam not with them too. "I want you to listen to this tape. When it is done, you will know why I am here and look the way I do. I need you to watch over Danny for me. You and Alexis can both watch over him because his mother and I won't be in his life."_

 _Monica listened to the tape and heard Sonny say that he and Sam ordered the hit on Elizabeth and her boys. Jake was her grandson and he was dead because of them. She looked away because she didn't want Danny to see her cry._

" _I am going to let Nik hear this, Alexis and then I am taking this to the police station. Sam and Sonny do not know that I did this but I have to get justice for what they did to my family. Elizabeth and I may never have married but she has a place in my heart. I tried to do what is best for all of us but I was wrong. I don't know what this is going to do to my son here but I have to leave. Please say you will help me."_

" _I will always love and protect you, Jason. I will also do that for Danny. I want you to know that Elizabeth and I made our peace when Jake came back. He calls me grandmother and he was the sweetest boy. I love him and his brothers and I always felt that Elizabeth was a daughter to me since she became friends with Emily. I know I was wrong when I judged her when Jake had first "died". I just hate to think that Sam was that obsessive that she would do that but you are right, she has to pay and so does Sonny."_

 _He hugged his son and went to the gate house to see Nik. Nik arrived a few minutes after Jason did. He played the tape for Nik and asked him to watch over Danny for him. His mother and Alexis would be his caregivers but he wanted someone who knew and loved Elizabeth and her sons to tell Danny. He wanted Danny to know what his mother and Sonny did to his family. He also wanted Danny to be safe._

 _The next stop was to see Alexis. He let her listen to his tape and make up her own mind. She realized that her daughter needed to be punished for having a mother and her three young sons murdered because they got in her way. Jason asked her to help Monica raise Danny. She agreed and promised not to help Sam._

 _Diane met him at the police station. Jason gave Nathan and Dante the real tape and he gave a copy to Diane. "Do you what you have to do but make sure that no one else gets hurt or killed. I also want to thank you for all the help you have given me since I first met you. You know what I want and need before I even ask for it."_

 _Diane watched her client walk out of the police station. She knew that he was going to end his life but he wanted to make sure all the loose ends were tied up. He drove to "Nowhere" on his motorcycle. He took a walk to their bridge and told Elizabeth to hold on that he was coming to her. He prayed that he got the chance to be with Elizabeth and their sons again. He then took off riding his motorcycle. The roads were slick from a storm that just passed through. He took the curve but it was too sharp and he went over the cliff. The police found his motorcycle and broken body on the rocks below. They saw that he had tried to slow down by the skid marks but he couldn't hold it and went over. His death was ruled an accident and so his son Danny would get most of his money. Sam and Sonny both tried to get Danny's money but couldn't because they were both sentenced in the murders of Elizabeth and her three sons. No one wanted to help either one. The family took care of Danny but they left his mother to twist in the wind. Sonny was treated the same way. Jason left Carly money to take care of her two sons and Josslyn. Morgan and Michael were old enough for their money but Joss's money went to her mother until she was twenty-one years old. Danny was the same way and it was held in trust by Monica._

That was when he woke up. His mind was free from confusion about what he wanted to do. He was going to go with his heart and divorce Sam so he could be with Elizabeth. He knew who he loved and that was great.

He went to see Diane and told her that he was Jason Quartermaine. He wanted his life back and wanted to divorce Sam but get joint custody of Danny. "Okay, the first thing we have to do is prove that you are truly Jason Quartermaine. Once that is established then we can get your old name restored and you can claim your life back. Then I will file for divorce for you. Just be careful of who you tell. Once your life is exposed, there are going to be many people pulling you in all sort of directions."

Diane could tell that she was going to be moving back to Port Charles. She loved having Jason as her client. She also wanted to see where things were going for her and Max. She got the dna test started and was happy to see that he might finally get a happy life.


	3. Chapter 3

Jason knew that he needed to stay in New York City a few days to wait for the DNA results. He also needed to see Nik and ask him if he could help him find Jake. He knew that they were dreams that he had of his son. But he started to think about his time on Cassadine Island and wondered if he saw Jake there but didn't realize it was him. He also remembered Robin helping him get home so he knew she was in trouble because she was on her way home with him.

The dreams might not be real but it helped him decide that he wanted a life with Liz and her boys and not one with Sam. He did want to know his son, Danny and so he had to try to keep at least a friendship with his mother. The other thing was telling Carly and Sonny that he was Jason but he was not going back to that life. He wanted one where he could start fresh with Liz and her sons.

He got the DNA test back from Diane and she started on the paperwork. He thanked Diane and she said that his assets would be back in his name. The money now is in his wife's name. She likes to spend but luckily she didn't put a dent in the money and assets that you have.

Jason got back on his motorcycle and rode home. He decided that he needed to talk to Nik and then he was going to get Jake back and then tell Liz that he was really Jason. He called Nik and they met at Kelly's. "I am wondering why you want to meet me now? I told you everything that I know which isn't much."

"I need your help. I believe that Jake is still alive and on your island. I also think that Robin is there and she is in trouble. I want to bring them home but I need your help. Can you help me?"

"I owe you for what my grandmother did to you and if she has Jake, then she needs to pay for that. I can get my plane ready in half an hour. I will have to see if someone can watch Spencer. My mother is in town, so I think she would help especially if it meant that we could bring Jake home. I will call her and then we can meet at the airstrip."

Nik called his mother and she was happy to watch Spencer for a few days. He went and called his pilot and got his plane ready for their flight to Greece. He went home and got some clothes and then went to the airstrip. Jason met him with his things too and they boarded the plane for Greece.

The flight was long so they both relaxed and slept some. When they landed, Helena met them at the airstrip. "I see you brought my grandson with you Mr. Morgan. What are you doing here? I think that I know and if you want Robin and your son back then you need to get them and forget that you ever met me. I know what you can do and I am too old to fight. My grandson knows all the families on the island but there are a few extra members here that would not be noticed by most people. I don't think that Nik ever knew that Robin or Jake were here. I know that he would have brought them back if he did. He loves Elizabeth and he would want her to have her son back. The only thing that I can say to you was that I helped young Jake and then became attached to him. I thought he was Lucky's son at first but once I knew he was yours well, I still kept him because I needed your skills. You were a great catch for a while. You even saw your son but didn't realize it because of the brainwashing. Robin is somewhere in the tunnels. I don't know or care where she is but I always liked Jake."

Nik and Jason just looked at Helena and took off towards the compound. Helena didn't try to stop them and it made Nik a little nervous. He hated that she had so much power over him even though he knew that she would never hurt him.

They found Jake first. He was in a small house just before you got to the main house. He was outside swinging on a swing. He saw his father and Uncle Nik. He ran towards his Uncle Nik. "Uncle Nik, you finally found me. Your grandmother would tell me when you were coming with Spencer and then she would make me stay far away. One time she even took me to another island so you wouldn't see me. Is this my dad, he looks like him but a little different than when he was on the island? Your grandmother would tell me that he was here on the island but he didn't know me because he was brainwashed?"

"Jake, yes I am your father. I was in an accident and they had to give me plastic surgery so I look a little different than I did before. Helena had brainwashed me and I am so sorry that I didn't know you were Jake. Your mother and brothers miss you so bad. I just found out that I am Jason from your Uncle Nik. I went to see your mother and my memories came back. I started to remember seeing a young boy who I thought was my son but I wasn't sure. I came here with your uncle to take you back and my friend Robin. She is the one that saved me and I believe she saved Helena and Stavros. Let's go. She will let you go home with me."

The three of them went into the tunnels and after searching for an hour, they found Robin. She was locked up and when she saw Nik, Jake and someone who she thought looked like Jason were there to save her. She prayed it was not a dream but was real. Nik opened the door for her and they got Robin and took off for the plane.

They got onto the plane and made sure that no one else was on the plane. The pilot then took off heading home. Jason made a phone call. He knew that she was probably asleep because of the time but he left her a message saying he had a big surprise for her. He would be home around ten her time. He loved her and he wanted to make sure that she stayed home.

They got back into town. The first thing that Robin did was call Patrick. She told him that she loved him and that Nik and Jake had saved her. He told her that he was on his way with Emma. Sam and Danny had spent the night at Monica's.

Jake and Jason waited till Patrick got there. He was shocked to see Jake and Jason. He found out that Robin had saved Jason and that was who got hit by the SUV. Helena had kidnapped her and made her tell Patrick that she needed to do this research or she would kill her family. She hated being there and she was locked up for the moment she got there. They did let her make phone calls every once in a while, to make it look good.

Patrick took Jason and Jake home to Elizabeth. He thanked him for saving Robin and bringing Jake back. He dropped them off and Jason was ready to start his new life as Jason Quartermaine.

Elizabeth opened the door and saw Jake. She looked at her son and started to cry. Jake took a step back thinking that his mother was upset that he was back home. "Jake, your mother is happy you are home and that is why she is crying. Women are weird sometimes like that. You will get used to it. I promise."

Jake walked over to his mother and hugged her and they walked into the house. He remembered it because of his dreams. He always dreamt of his mother and brothers. Just then Cameron came running down the stairs and stopped when he saw his little brother. He saw Jake and hugged him. "Am I dreaming or is Jake really here?"

"You are not dreaming; Jake is home where he belongs. Is Aiden up? I am not sure if he remembers Jake but I know that he remembers stories about his older brother."

Cameron went upstairs to get Aiden. "Aiden, come on downstairs. I have a surprise for you." Aiden and Cameron came downstairs to see Jake. Aiden was confused when he saw him because his brother had died and was in heaven.

"There is one more thing that I need to tell you, well a few things. Jake, why don't you and your brothers get something to eat. I am sure that you are hungry while I talk to your mom." The boys went into the kitchen and Elizabeth starred at him.

"Okay, first of all I know who I am. Nik told me the of the nurses' ball. I wanted to tell you but I was not sure of what to say. I think that is why you got so confused. I started to get my memories back when we kissed. I love you so much and I want you to know that I am not leaving you. I have talked to Diane Miller and she is getting things started to bring me back to life so to speak. I guess we will have to do that for Jake too. He was on Cassadine Island with Robin. Robin is back with Patrick and Emma. I know that there will be trouble with Sam but I don't care about that right now. I told my mother because I had to tell someone and she promised to not say anything till I was ready. I spent a few days in New York getting things going with Diane. I came back and talked to Nik about Jake. I remembered him and so I wanted to be sure that my mind was not playing tricks on me. I was brainwashed and that was why I couldn't remember seeing Jake." Elizabeth just took it all in. She was so happy that her son and the man she loved was back.

"I am not sure if I should be happy or mad at you. I know that you did everything that you could to get our son back and you also brought Robin back and so I think that is more important than whether or not I knew that you were Jason. I love you Jake or Jason. You have had my heart for so long. I want to thank you for all that you have done. Jake is our little man and you brought him back. There is one thing though, does Sam know you are Jason?"

"Not yet, I will have to tell her before she goes to Patrick's house. Robin is staying there and it could get ugly all the way around. She is not going to be happy that Patrick and Robin are together and she is definitely not going to be happy that I am choosing you and our sons over her. I am not forgetting about Danny though. I do want to be able to be with my son. I just want to start my life as Jason Quartermaine, not Jason Morgan. I hope you are okay with that."

"Yes, I am. I am very happy that you have all of your memories and I know that Monica must be thrilled. You go take care of Sam and we will be waiting here for you."

Jason went into the kitchen to say goodbye to the boys. He told them he would be back in a little bit. Jake got scared when he saw his father go but he tried to play it off. Elizabeth knew that Jake was going to need a lot of help from someone and that her love for him could not fix it.

Jason went to his mother's and Sam was still there with Danny. He saw his mother and she knew that he was going to tell Sam the truth. "Come on, Danny. Let's go see if Cook has made some more of his famous cookies. We can get some for you and your mom to take home."

"Did you want to talk to me? Is it about something that is going on with Patrick? I called him but he said that he was busy and just brushed me off. It was a weird vibe that I got from him and I am getting from you too."

"I am here to tell you something that I just found out about myself. Nik told me that I am Jason Morgan. It was the night of the nurses' ball and it happened right after we found out that Ric had paid Hayden to be my wife. I went to see Elizabeth to make sure that she was alright. Then I started remembering everything. I even remember my time as Jason Quartermaine. I am going back to that name. I told my mother and then I went to see Carly. I asked for Diane's number and then rode my motorcycle to New York City. She is getting my life back for me and now she is going to have to do the same for Jake. I remembered seeing a young boy on Cassadine Island. Nik brought me there and we were able to bring back Jake and Robin too. That is why Patrick said he was busy. He just found out that Helena had kidnapped both Jake and her. I plan on getting a divorce from you and shared custody of Danny. I know you are angry but I don't love you. Ever since I woke up, it has always been Elizabeth. She is the one who truly gets me and now it has become clear why I felt so safe with her. I just wanted you to know what is going on. Once I get my name, then everything returns to me. You will be taken care of and so will Danny. I just want to live my life and not have to worry about anything."

Sam was so mad that she couldn't see straight. "I know you, Jason. I know deep down you love me. We have a son, we are married. You never married Elizabeth. You just had sex one night and then she became pregnant with Jake. That is all she is to you, a one-night stand that won't go away. I can take care of that. I will make sure that she doesn't bother us. You will see that I am right and that you belong with me and Danny."

"You are wrong, Sam. Elizabeth and I have been in each other's orbit long before you ever came here to swindle the men in this town. I remember all the things that you have done to me and to others to get what you want. I forgave you for a lot of it but there are some things that I haven't forgotten about. You need to stay away from Elizabeth and me. She and I will be happy and she will be my wife. I am not going back to work with Sonny. I will start my own company and go from there. I am not sure where I will go or what I will do but I can promise you that Sonny will have nothing to do with it."

"You seem to forget that I can have help with either Sonny or my father. I have both families in the palm of my hands. Daddy will do anything for his princess. I just have to ask. Elizabeth will be a bad dream to me soon and I will have you right where I want you."

"I will tell you this because I owe you an explanation. You will not go near Elizabeth and her family. You will leave us alone or you will be put out of our misery. I still know enough about you and your cons to see that you are put away for a very long time. Don't push me because you will not like me when you do. This is not a threat but a promise."

He went into the kitchen and gave his mother a hug and his son too. Then he took a cookie and walked out of the mansion. He went to see Carly and tell her about everything that was going on. She was surprised but happy that Jason was finally back. She realized that he was in love with Elizabeth and that if she wanted to be in his life then she needed to be happy for him. She also knew that he wasn't going back to being with Sonny.

Jason called Sonny and he met them at the Metro Court. "Sonny, I found out who I am. I am Jason Morgan but I am going back to being Jason Quartermaine. I don't fit in your world anymore and I need to find a way out of it."

"You will have to go see the five families and speak to them about it. They knew you and what you can do for them and against them. I believe that they will let you out but you will probably have to do favors for them in the future depending on what you end up doing. Maximus is the best way to get what you want from the five families. I can have Max or Milo set up a meeting with their father for you. I am not sure if you have to go to see him in Italy or if he will come here?"

"Thank you Sonny. This means a lot to me." He shook Sonny's hand and hugged Carly before going home to Elizabeth.

He walked in and found Sam yelling at Elizabeth. "Okay, Sam. You need to leave now. I am not going to let you spew your hate here in my home. You need to leave."

"Okay, where am I going to go? The penthouse that I have been living in is yours. Robin is back so it is not like I can go back to Patrick. I am so hurt and angry right now. I am not sure what I am going to do. I think that I need to take a little break. Danny and I will take a vacation and come back when things quiet down. Maybe by then you will realize that you still want us in your life."

Sam then left with Danny. She talked to her father and asked if he could give her some money to take a vacation with Danny to Florida. She was going to stay there for a few months and then come back for the holidays. "Sam, I have a condo over in Daytona. It is right on the beach. It is beautiful there and not far from all the attractions in the state. The condo has two bedrooms, there is a pool on the premises and it is fully furnished. You will love it there. I will have the place ready for you by the end of the week. The lights and everything will be turned on. I will have a cleaning service come in and take care of it so it is not dusty in there. It has been a while since I visited down there. All the utilities will be taken care of, you just have to worry about yourselves. I even have a tab for one of the grocery stores in the area. All the information will be in my desk. Stay as long as you like. I will give you the keys when you are packed up and ready to go. I also will have my men help pack your things up and put them into storage. I am sorry about Jason and Patrick. Just remember that you are strong and you will make it through this. If there is anything else that you need, just call. I love you, Sam."

"Thank you dad. I appreciate this very much. I just need a clean break for a few months and try to figure out what I want to do. Danny will think he is on an adventure. I think that we will drive down and see some of the country before getting to the condo. I love you dad."

Sam also said goodbye to her sisters and mother. She wanted to leave and even though she wanted her husband back, she knew it wasn't going to happen. It also was not going to work out with Patrick so she had to leave. She had burnt too many bridges and made too many threats in her anger that she knew that if she didn't back off that she would find herself in jail.

Sam texted Jason and asked for him to meet her at Kelly's. She needed him to know what was going on and to give him some contact information so he could talk to his son and say goodbye to him.

"I have to apologize to you Jason. I said a lot of things that I didn't mean and I hope that you know it. Danny and I will be going on an extended vacation for the next few months. We plan on coming back to Port Charles for the holidays but in the mean time we will be living in Daytona. My father has a condo on the beach and it will be perfect for Danny and myself. I can take him to Disney and a few other places. The beach is there for us every day and they also have a pool. Danny loves the water so it will be great."

Jason looked at Sam and his son, Danny. "I will miss you Danny. I want you to know that I am your dad. You can call me anytime. Sam, take care and I will send you money for your stay there. Once you are settled there in Daytona, call me or send me the information and I will set you and Danny up down there. Thank you for telling me."

Jason hugged his son and walked out the door. There were tears in his eyes but he knew it was for the better. Danny is such a great kid and he was going to miss his son. Although it made he realize that he needed to take Elizabeth and their sons on a trip too. He was not sure where but he knew that he needed to do that so they could bond before all the big changes took place.

Later that week, Sam packed up her SUV and headed south with her son, Danny. Jason had his name restored and so he was able to give Sam some money so she could get the things that she needed to be comfortable down in Daytona.

The divorce had gone through and custody arrangements were made for visitation with Danny. There were a few loose ends to take care of in Port Charles and then the Quartermaines were going on a trip to Italy. Elizabeth was excited about that trip and they were also going to France and England. The boys wanted to see a real castle.


	4. Chapter 4

Sam and Danny arrived at the condo and she was truly surprised by the look of the condo. It was one of the smaller condos on the beach but the home itself felt so big. They were on the third floor and had a great view of the ocean. The balcony was right off the master bathroom and she put their suitcases down and looked at the view. Danny rushed over and saw the water too. They also noticed that there were sharks in the water so she told Danny that they could only put their feet in the water but they could swim in the pool.

Sam got on her phone and called her parents. "I just wanted to let you know that Danny and I made it safely to Daytona. Danny loves it here and we saw all the sharks that are just off-shore so we will be swimming in the pool but maybe just stick our feet in the water. I am not going to get to far in with the sharks being that close. The water is beautiful and I hope that the weather stays like this. Thank you both for this opportunity. Danny sends his love."

"We are glad that you and Danny are down there. I should have warned you about the sharks but I figured that you could see them and I knew that you would stay away from them. Jason is taking a cue from you and going to Italy for a family vacation. He wanted a way for the family to bond. I think that he also plans on stopping in Daytona and seeing you and Danny before heading back to Port Charles. I love you Sam. Give Danny a hug from us."

Sam hung up the phone and called Jason. "I just wanted you to know that Danny and I are down here now. My mom told me that you and Elizabeth are finally going to Italy. Have a safe trip and here is Danny. I know he wants to talk to you."

"Hi Danny! This is daddy. I heard that you are in sunny Florida. How is the condo?"

"Hi Daddy! The condo is cool. The best part is that mom and I can see sharks from the balcony. We aren't swimming in the ocean, we are just going to swim in the pool because we don't want to swim with sharks. I have a big bedroom with my own bathroom and television. Mom bought me some games so I can play them on the television. I love you daddy. Tell Lizzie and my brothers, hi."

"I will. We love you too. We are going to Italy to see where they make wine. I will send you pictures and you can send me pictures. Your mom has an i-pad and you should be able to take and send pictures on there. Take good care of yourself and your mommy. I will be calling you in a few days."

Sam and Danny finished their phone call to Jason. "Mom, can we go swimming? I want to try out my new trunks." Sam gave her son a hug and helped him get changed and she got changed too.

They headed down to the pool and Sam sprayed Danny with sunscreen so he wouldn't get burnt. The two of them met some of the neighbors and had a great time in the pool. Sam and Danny were drying off and going back to their home. Sam sees the most gorgeous man that she has ever seen. He was a little taller than Jason and had the same build. He looked like someone who just stepped off the cover of some famous magazine cover.

She saw that he was staring at her too like he knew her from somewhere. "I am sorry but you seem familiar to me. I am not sure why but it is almost like I knew you. My name is Tony and I play football for the Jags. I hope you don't mind my dog, Sarge? He loves children and even though he is a bit on the big side, I know that he will get along with your son."

"Hi, Tony! I am Samantha but everyone calls me Sam and this is my son, Daniel. Everyone calls him Danny. We just moved into my father's condo this morning. Do you live here or near here?"

"I also live here on the third floor. I think that our homes are right next to each other. I also have the ocean view that you have. I saw you from the beach looking out at the water when I think you first got here."

"Oh, I think that I did see you with Sarge earlier. Danny really loves dogs. He is just a bit skittish because we just came here from upstate New York."

"It was very nice to meet the two of you. When football season starts, would you like tickets to see the game? I would really love for the two of you to come and see me play."

"Sure, but don't you live a ways out for playing for the Jags. I know Jacksonville is not that far away but it must be a haul doing that every day when you are playing."

"I have a place in town when I am playing. When I am practicing, like I am now I stay here for a few days and then go back to my apartment and stay there. Sarge, here does not like it that much in the city because I don't get to spend that much time with him. I am from up north too. I used to live in a small town near Buffalo. Anyway, welcome to the neighborhood. I hope to see the both of you soon."

"Wait, you said a small town near Buffalo. Danny and I are from Port Charles. That is strange. It is a small world down here."

"Yeah, it happens a lot in Florida. You will see. There will be people that you haven't seen in ten years and they will walk right by and you will think, I know that person but you are too afraid to ask because you could be wrong."

"That has happened to me quite a bit. I am glad that we met you and I think that my son here would be in heaven if he got to see you play. The problem is I am not sure if he would be able to stay up the whole time. Some of your games go on for a while but maybe an afternoon game."

Sam and Danny then went into their new home and relaxed for the rest of the day. It was the first time in a while that Sam actually flirted with a man and she liked it. She wanted to know more about this guy named Tony and watch him play.

Jason and Elizabeth got ready for their trip to Italy. It was a bonding adventure with their sons and also a way for Jason to talk to Maximus about getting out of the mob life. He wanted a fresh start and he knew the best way was for Maximus to help.

The boys were excited about going there but they had no clue what they were going to do in Italy. They got on board the plane towards their new future. They landed at an airstrip in a town near where Maximus lived. They were staying at a villa outside of the town. They were really excited now that they were there.

The boys got off the plane and headed towards the limo. Elizabeth and Jason followed behind their sons and got into the vehicle. They headed towards the villa that they were vacationing in for the next couple of weeks.

The villa was everything that Elizabeth had hoped for and more. The staff met them outside and showed them around. The cook showed them to the kitchen and everyone was loving the aroma from the pasta sauce. She also showed them around the ground floor area. There was the main living room and dining room. The long hallway led to a family room where the boys would never want to leave. The two maids showed the family the upstairs where they would be sleeping. The boys each had their rooms and their parents were close by. There were plenty of bathrooms for them too. Outside the villa was the huge in-ground pool.

The boys loved their rooms and the family room but their favorite was the pool. Jason took the boys outside to swim. Elizabeth went to her bedroom and unpacked her clothing and got out her bikini. She put it on and joined Jason and her sons outside.

They swam for the rest of the afternoon only taking a bathroom break or getting something to drink. Jason went inside one of those times and called Maximus.

"Mr. Giambetti, this is Jason Quartermaine. I am going by old name now and not Jason Morgan. I would like to set up an appointment to speak to you sometime this week. I am staying at a villa close by you. It is in the area of Palmero. I think that is how you say it."

"Jason, yes I would love to speak to you. Your boss, Sonny has already told me about your situation and I think that I can help you. I know where you are staying and I can meet you there at ten o'clock if that is fine."

"Yes, thank you for that. My girlfriend and children are here and they would love to meet you too. Elizabeth has always raved about Max and Milo. She thinks that your sons are the best."

"I have heard from them that they also love Elizabeth too. They told me that she needs to bake me some brownies and that it would be the best that I have ever tasted. Do you mind if I bring my wife with me? I know that she would love to meet Elizabeth and your sons."

"I would be honored if you did that. I will have everything ready for the two of you tomorrow including Elizabeth's brownies." They both said goodbye and ended the phone call.

Jason then went outside to enjoy spending more time by the pool with his wonderful family. "Elizabeth, can you do me a favor? I promised that Max and Milo's father Maximus could try some of your brownies. He is bringing his wife over tomorrow at ten so we can discuss me getting out of the mob. I need his help if I want to leave."

Elizabeth was a trooper and put her arms around him and told him that she would do anything for him. The boys heard the word brownies and they were all set to help their mother.

The next morning Elizabeth and her sons went to the kitchen to bake her brownies. The staff already knew what was going on and went into town to get the ingredients that she needed. They also knew how important Mr. Giambetti was to the area and they wanted the villa to be spotless. Everyone was hurrying around making sure that everything was perfect.

The Giambettis made it to the villa around ten o'clock just like he said he would. Jason had greeted the two of them inside and all they could smell was the brownies. "Milo was right about one thing. The aroma is to die for. I hope that they taste as good as they smell."

Elizabeth and Mrs. Giambetti sat out in the living room and had coffee and her brownies. "This is a special occasion because normally the boys are not allowed to have any brownies till at least after lunch. I hope you enjoy them as much as your sons do. I can bribe them with anything I want if I promise them these brownies."

"Well, Elizabeth, my sons are right. They are wonderful. I have heard some stories about you and your escapades. Your sons are so sweet and well behaved. I guess they are patiently waiting to go swimming."

"Yes, they are but patient is not a word that I would use to describe them. We could sit outside on the patio and watch them swim if you like?"

"That would be lovely. My husband can find me soon enough. Thank you for such a lovely morning." The two of them followed three very impatient little boys.

They watched Cameron try to teach Aiden how to swim. Jake looked like he must have swam all the time in Greece. "I see your son; Jake has adjusted well to all that he has been through. I am very happy for you all that he came back to you. It must have been terrible for you to lose him like that and then find out that he was kidnapped by that crazy woman."

"You are right. We are very lucky that he has come back to us. I am so happy that I have met you. I have heard all about you through your sons and now I get to finally meet you."

The two of them had a lovely chat and had fun watching the antics of her three sons.

While Elizabeth was outside talking to Mrs. Giambetti, Jason was talking to Maximus. He held the fate of his future with Elizabeth and their family. "I want to thank you for seeing me and my family. I have always loved working with your sons and I hope that even though I am not working directly with them anymore that we remain close. I was thinking of going into the security business. I would love to be a contractor for new housing and new business. I would also flip homes and upgrade them with the best home security systems. I would also do the same for the businesses. I just want a chance to keep my family safe. It is not just about me anymore but them. They are the reason that I get up in the morning and want to do better."

"I understand where you are coming from and I will back you up. I will also help you get your start where ever you want to go. If you want to move or stay in Port Charles, I would like to be your first client. I also would love to be your silent partner, if you have me."

"Thank you. I appreciate any help that you can give me. The first client part is that here in Italy or are you going to be putting roots down in New York too?"

"I was thinking of having a place there so I can see my sons more often and not have to worry about finding a hotel. Just tell me when you need me. I will be going to Port Charles, next week to speak on your behalf. I think that it is smart that you are here when it goes on. When it is over and everything is agreed upon you can go back safely to Port Charles."

"That sounds great. I am so glad that your wife and you came over to see us today. I want you to know that we will not let you down."

The two of them went outside to see the women watching the boys swim. Maximus went up behind his wife and kissed her. He loved being there and meeting the Quartermaines. Well future Quartermaines. Jason had also invited them to his and Elizabeth's wedding when they got married.

Mr. and Mrs. Giambetti left the villa but promised to see them when they went back to Port Charles. Maximus and Jason had exchanged numbers and Maximus was ready to represent Jason for him to leave the mob.

Jason was very happy about the turn of events with Maximus. Elizabeth enjoyed her time with his wife. The boys were just happy because they got to have brownies and also go swimming.

Jason then asked Elizabeth what she wanted to do while they were there in Italy. There were a few towns that she wanted to see the history, museums and the beauty that is Italy. She wanted her sons to know that there was more to the world than just Port Charles. She also wanted to see Paris, London and Dublin. Cameron and Jake were excited about seeing castles and also wanting to see some of the museums. They were just happy that they were all together. Cameron was so happy that Jake and Jason were alive. He finally got his wish and his mother was happy for the first time in a very long time. She tried for Aiden and himself but it was not the same since Jake "died" and it was worse after Jason "died" too. There was a difference when "Jake Doe" came into their life. She finally started to have fun and laugh. Now that everyone knows that Jake Doe was really Jason it made more sense.

"Tomorrow, we can either go to Rome or Florence or we can just stay around here and next week go further up north towards Paris and London."

"Jake, Aiden and me are just happy that we are all together. We will go where ever you and mom want to go. I just want to see one castle. I have my camera and the vineyards here and the town is not too far away. I would love to check out the town here and see what is going on."

"I think that it would be great to check out the town and maybe we can get some great pictures. I was thinking about getting back into my art. I put my notice in before we left and it is now time for me to find out what I really want to do with my life. I was thinking interior design or maybe another gallery in town. I also want to go back to school for some of these classes."

Elizabeth went inside and put on her bikini while Jason watched the boys swim. When she came out, he went in and changed into his swimming trunks and they all went swimming. The day went by fast and soon it was time to go in for the night. They had another amazing dinner and Elizabeth knew that she was going to have to go on a diet as soon as she landed in the states. The boys were having a great time. Jason and Elizabeth relaxed for the evening. Jason called Danny to see how he was doing in Florida.

"Hi daddy! Mom and I are getting dark. The pool is so much fun and mom has a new friend named Tony. He is a football player for the Jags. We are going to see one of his games this summer. Mom and I are going to spend a few days in Jacksonville to get the whole feel of the city. I miss and love you daddy. Mom wants to speak to you."

"Hi! Danny is such a chatterbox. He loves talking to his dad. I just wanted you to know that I received the papers from Diane and I signed them and sent them back to her. I will not contest the divorce and thank you for giving us the penthouse. Tell Elizabeth and the boys that we said hi and that we love and miss them. Take care, Jason."

"You both take care too. We love and miss you both too. Tell Danny that we will call in a few days and will probably be in Paris then. I will talk to you both later. Ciao!"

The boys took their baths and headed to bed. Cameron was up on his laptop talking to Emma. Elizabeth and Jason were relaxing just taking in the quiet. "This is the best time of the day. Our boys are either sleeping or relaxing and we can get some peace. I am glad that Sam is not fighting us. She is doing better and she met a guy named Tony. He is a player for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has invited them to spend a few days in Jacksonville in a couple of weeks to see the city and to see him play. I guess this right here is the best for all of us. I just wish that we could be married already."

"I hate to break it to you but you haven't really asked me yet. But if you want, go for it."

"Elizabeth, I have been in love with you for so long now. I love our life and our sons. The one thing that would make my life even better is for you to be my wife. Elizabeth, will you marry me?"

"Yes, I will. I have been in love with you since the day that you saved me at Jakes. I might have been mad for a few minutes but I knew that you did that to save me from myself. The first time we went on your motorcycle was magic. You have saved my life and I have saved your life so know we can save each other daily. I would be so proud to be your wife."

The two of them were now officially engaged. Their lives were right ahead of them and there was no looking back.


	5. Chapter 5

The next two months after their vacation to Europe went by fast. Maximus was able to get Jason out of the mob. He proved his word good when he helped him set up his new construction business. He had put in new security systems for all of the five families. He also started his new home with Elizabeth and their sons.

Elizabeth had gone back to school and started taking classes in design mainly interior design but she also loved the way you can turn an ordinary backyard into an oasis. The boys were in school too so everyone was busy. Her first major project was designing her new home. She had decided that putting the two major things in her life as one made sense. If she was successful with her new home than she could be successful doing other homes.

Her professor was very impressed with her style. Elizabeth showed how she could make an ordinary kitchen into something that most families would love to have in their home. She loved the different styles and textures that she could use in her schoolwork and also in her real life. Jason loved that she was taking such risks with their home because he knew that she had talent and the more people who liked their house, the more business he would get.

She was top in her interior designer in her class. Her other classes were good but they didn't give her the satisfaction that her design classes did.

Sam was still down in Florida with Danny. She started her new life down there and was going to school taking management classes. Danny was old enough to start school there. She and Tony were inseparable and they loved to watch him play ball. Danny thought he was even cooler than his dad but he would never tell him that. When the Jags would play the Bills, Tony would take Sam and Danny with them. Danny could then see his father and Jason had fun watching Tony get beat up on the field. "Danny, I asked your mother if you could spend Christmas with us and she said yes. Your grandparents on both sides are looking forward to spoiling you too. I hope that you didn't mind me bringing Jake and Cameron with me to the game. They love football too and Jake wanted to see his brother."

"That is okay, dad. I just want you to know that I love and miss you but it is so cool that mom is dating Tony. The kids in my class think that he is really cool. I just wish his team would win more. I hate to see what will happen to him when he plays against teams like New England."

"I am very impressed with your knowledge of football for someone so young."

"Mom and Tony have taught me a lot. Tony is going to teach me how to play so I can play down in Daytona. We might move to Jacksonville because that is where Tony stays most of the time and there are a lot of great schools for mom to go too. She plans on going to college but she is not sure where. She wants to be able to have her own business and she needs to know how to manage one."

Jason and Danny had a great time watching the game with Jake and Cameron. Sam stayed with the player's wives and families. When the game was over, Jason went to thank Sam for inviting them and allowing Danny to come up for Christmas break.

"I would like to say that I did that for you but I did it for our son. Danny loves you all and I don't want him to feel that he can't have a relationship with you just because we are not together anymore. I will be up visiting too in Port Charles and Tony is going to meet the family. Wish us luck? Although, I know how I feel about him and as long as my father does not scare him away, I think that we will be fine. He makes me want to be a better person. He just makes me feel safe and loved. I am not sure if I felt that way with you because something was always happening. I am glad that you are out of that life. I have seen pictures that you have sent to Danny on your new home. Elizabeth is an amazing interior designer. I am trying to figure out what I want to do for a career but there are so many opportunities and I can't seem to find just one way to go."

"I know that you will figure it out. Danny says that you might move to Jacksonville and make that your permanent home. I hope that if you do, he will make you happy. I have been watching his progress and I heard that he might be going to New England when his contract ends. How would you feel about living back up in the snow and cold?"

"Tony and I were just talking about it. This is his last year on contract for the Jags. He really likes the coaches and players on New England. His position is in defense so, it is not like he will be going up against Tom, so I think that he will be fine. Danny and I will follow him back up north and it will make it easier for us to visit family. Although, if he went to say Miami, then I wouldn't complain about that either."

"I would like to meet Tony. Do you think that you can arrange it so Danny can introduce your boyfriend to my sons? They love watching him play. The two of them think he is awesome. Aiden is too much into music and his dad to notice anything else."

Tony came from the locker room and went over to give Sam a kiss. It was short but sweet. "Hi! I am Tony, Samantha's boyfriend. I have heard a lot about you from both Sam and Danny. I also goggled you. I see that you look well for someone who has come from the dead a couple of times and I heard your son did too."

"Tony, you already know my son, Danny. Here are two more of my sons, Jake and Cameron. They are big fans of yours. Aiden is at home with his mother. His father is supposed to have face-time or skype with him today. He is young but he knows more about music than a lot of people older than him."

"I would like to invite you, Sam and Danny over for Christmas dinner? I just hope that you haven't made any other plans. We will be in our new home by then and we want to have a great big Christmas dinner."

"Sam and I will have to talk about it but it sounds great. It was very nice meeting you all. I have to go shower and get changed. Sam, can you and Danny wait for me here? I should be back in a half an hour."

"Yes, go get cleaned up. I think that our flight is in a couple of hours so we can relax a little bit before we have to fly back." Sam gives Tony a kiss and swat on his butt.

Jason stayed with Sam and his sons until Tony came back. He gave Danny a big hug and took Jake and Cameron home. The boys couldn't stop talking about the game. They loved being in the middle of all that. They couldn't wait to show their friends in school what they did that weekend.

The next few weeks after the football game, it was time to start figuring out what bedrooms they would be staying in. Aiden did not want to be alone but he also wanted to seem like he was like his older brothers. Aiden's bedroom was the closest to his parents' bedroom. He knew if they had another child that he would be moving closer to his older brothers. He was all for that but in the meantime he was glad that he was close by his mother.

The following week, they would be moving into their new home. The construction crew was one of the best in the area. There were a couple of properties that they were looking at and thought it would be fun to flip. When winter was over and the spring thaw came it, would be the best time for the flips. They had found several properties and when they put their bids in, they had got four out of the five houses.

Jason and his construction team, went in and found any major problems with the house first and then figured out a way to fix them so they would be safe and look beautiful. Elizabeth would find the materials to design the homes and also make the purchases for the furnishings. She took care of what kind of flooring to put in, whether it be tile or hardwood or just plain ole carpet. There were certain places that carpet was good for but most parts of the home would be tile or hardwood. Her favorite rooms were the kitchen and master bathrooms. She took the style of the house and took it up a couple of notches for the total effect of the design.

The moving company had already put in all the new furniture. Most of the things in the new house were brand new but the boys wanted a few pieces from their old home. The things in storage were also being put into their new home. Elizabeth could not wait for their first night in their bed. The view from their bedroom was absolutely beautiful. There was not a bad view anywhere in their new home.

There was one addition that Elizabeth knew would be great for the family. They had an outdoor swimming pool for the summer but they also had a heated one inside their home. It was in the basement near the man-cave. She had her studio in the backyard during the warmer months and she had a smaller studio for the winter months. She had her art supplies on one side of the studio and she had her computer and interior design books on the other. There was a fridge, coffeemaker and her television. She could get loss in there but with three sons and a fiancée well she couldn't totally get lost.

Jason wanted a full-time cook and maid. He knew that Elizabeth was going to be too busy to have to do the cooking and cleaning while also working with him. He was happy that she went with that because sometimes it was hard for Elizabeth to ask or accept help.

The move was easier than she thought it would be. Their home was beautiful and Jason was very proud of what they had accomplished together. Elizabeth had taken photos of her home and showed them as part of her project.

The students in her class were very impressed with her designs and her professor was too. She got an "A" in her class and her professor wanted her to use her photos for a magazine on new home design. She told him that she needed to speak to her fiancée first but she was very excited about it.

"Jason, I have been asked by my professor to submit our home designs to a new magazine on home design. Do you think that I could send them in? It will be a big boost to our career. I am so proud of the work that we have done."

"Congrats on that. I say yes to that and I think that we should have a party to celebrate the photos when the magazine comes out. You can invite your classmates and professor to the party. I knew that you did a great job and now everyone will know that too."

Elizabeth then went to her professor and told him that she would be honored to be in that new magazine. There were a couple of her classmates that he had also asked to put their photos into the magazine.

The magazine was going to be first published in a couple of weeks. The editor was a friend of Elizabeth's professor. This was a way for new talent to be shown to the country. Elizabeth's kitchen was going to be on the front cover of the new magazine. There was a lot riding on it.

Jason talked to Danny just about every day. He loved that he could skype with him and see how much he was changing. All four boys were growing up fast. Lucky was going to come see Aiden for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Elizabeth invited him for both and he accepted the invitation. He had a great singing partner that was now his girlfriend, and Elizabeth invited her too.

Thanksgiving was in a week and shortly after that it would be Christmas. Time flew by so fast sometimes that it could make your head spin. Their cook was going to stay and help out with the meal but when it was finished, she was out of there. Elizabeth gave both her cook and her maid Thanksgiving off and they didn't have to be back till that Monday. They worked Monday through Friday and had every weekend off. The only reason why the cook wanted to stay was to make sure that she had a kitchen to come back to that Monday. Elizabeth was great at warming up things in the oven but actually baking and cooking were not her things except brownies. Her maid was becoming a great friend to Elizabeth and they were both invited to the holiday meal.

Elizabeth knew how to clean so picking up and putting away everything afterwards would be no problem. She had invited Monica, Tracy, Ned and Dillon. She also invited Lucky and his girlfriend. She invited Sam, Danny and Tony up there but Tony had to be read y to play football so Jason was going to have to wait for Christmas to be with Danny. Johnny and Francis lived there with them so they were definitely invited and she invited the Giambettis for dinner too.

There were two days before Thanksgiving when Elizabeth started to prepare for their Thanksgiving dinner. Her cook, Isabella showed Elizabeth wanted she needed her to do. They prepared some of the desserts and the vegetables for that Thursday. The turkey was thawing and it was going to be prepped the next day so they could roast it nice and slow.

Jake, Cameron and Aiden made sure that their rooms were clean for their company. Aiden was so excited that his father was going to be there. He wished he was coming alone but he figured it would be alright to meet his girlfriend.

Jake had both of his parents and Cameron felt sort of lost because his father had died. He loved both Lucky and Jason but it was not the same. He never met his real father because Zander died before he was even born. Elizabeth did not talk much about his father so he goggled him and found out why his mother did that. That just made him more confused but he decided that having Jason be his dad was not such a bad idea. The only thing that bothered him was the fact that Jason and Elizabeth were engaged but they never set an actual date.

The night before Thanksgiving, Lucky and Michelle came into town. They were staying with Nicholas on Spoon Island and were going over to visit Elizabeth first and then go over to where his mother and brother were at.

Lucky knocked on the door and Francis answered it. "Hi Lucky! This must be Michelle. Welcome to our humble home. Liz and Jason are inside waiting for you. I am Francis, one of the guards here."

Lucky walked in and fell in love with their new home. There was so much light and everything seemed so peaceful. Aiden ran down the stairs to see his father. He hugged his dad and shook Michelle's hand.

Jason took Lucky on the tour of the house and showed him all the highlights that he would like to see. Elizabeth took Michelle on the tour of the rest of house. She started upstairs where the bedrooms were and also the balcony. Michelle loved the style of the house that Elizabeth had done. The master bathroom was a work of art. There was a skylight in there that let in sunlight. It was beautiful. "I have to tell you that I love it during the day but nothing beats this bathroom at night. You can lay in the tub and look up at the stars. I light a few candles, have a glass of wine and look up and watch the stars in the sky. There is nothing more peaceful than that. The shower is for Jason. It is something that I am very proud of because of the way the tile looks in the shower. It was fun making that pattern. The tiles are heated in the winter so you don't get cold feet when you use the restroom. The boys' bathrooms also have the heated tile and they each have their own bathroom. Aiden's room is right down the hall from ours. Jake and Cameron have their bedrooms on the other side of the house. They want to be far away from our prying eyes but of course they know that we only want what is best for them."

"Liz, you have an amazing talent. I am not sure that you know that Lucky and I sing together. He is so amazing and I love the song that he wrote for you. I can see how he could fall for you. He has told me all about your history and it is amazing that you are as strong as you are. I really commend you for all that you have been put through and all that you have accomplished."

"Lucky has only told me great things about you too. You have that easy kind of friendship that is important for your future together. I hope that you will sing with Lucky tomorrow. I would love to hear the two of you. Aiden has the talent that his daddy has and you have to hear the two of them together. I guess I need to show you around some more so the guys don't think that I have kidnapped you somehow." Elizabeth and Michelle went to look at the other rooms but the ones that Michelle loved the most were the same ones that Elizabeth loved and the ones that were going to be in the magazine.

The four of them were laughing and joking about their past. Jake and Cameron were upstairs playing video games and Aiden just wanted to hang out with his parents. "Aiden, would you like to go with Michelle and myself to your uncle Nik's house. You can spend the night with us and we will bring you back tomorrow for Thanksgiving dinner."

He looked at his mother and Jason. "Yes, I would love that. Just wait till I get my stuff."

When Aiden was packed, the three of said their goodbyes and went to Spoon Island. Jason and Elizabeth were sad to see them go. "I like her. She looks like a great match for Lucky. I hope that she makes him as happy as you do for me. I love you Jason. I wouldn't want to be with anyone else."

"Well, tomorrow is the big day. Do you think we are ready for everyone to come here and have a great dinner with us? I can't wait for everyone to see our place. I also heard from your professor that the design magazine will be out on the first of next month. Well, it's time to settle down for the night. Tomorrow we will give thanks for everything that we have and hope to have in our future."

Jason went to check on Jake and Cameron. They were sound asleep in Cam's room. Jason then went to his bedroom where he kissed his future wife goodnight and they went to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Jason and Elizabeth were getting ready for bed when Jason looked at his fiancée. "I have been meaning to set a date with you ever since I asked you to marry me. I am not sure why it slipped my mind but it has. Do you have a special time of year that you would like to get married? We could get married here or we could ask mom if we could get married in the springtime in grandmother's rose garden. I know that she would want us to get married there and we can have our reception wherever you want. I want to figure out the honeymoon and I won't tell you till we are in the air after getting married. There will be no need for clothes so you don't have to worry about what to buy. I mean we will need clothes but you can buy them when we land."

"You are such a tease. I love the idea of getting married in Lila's rose garden. She had the most beautiful soul and I know that she is watching over us. Emily is there too and your father and grandfather. I know that they will be with us in spirit. I just have to figure out where the reception should be. It could be at your mom's still or we could go to the Metro Court. If we use the Metro Court, then we can honeymoon right upstairs. No need to go away then."

"No, we are definitely going on a honeymoon. You are not taking the fun out of that surprise. Sam and Tony said that they will be bringing Danny here in a couple of weeks. I think she has some plans to meet Tony's family and then she is going to bring him here to meet her family. Poor guy does not know what he is getting into with that family."

"I can't wait for Danny to get here. When he does get here, we will have to go find the perfect Christmas tree. Do you know if he is spending Christmas Eve with us or Christmas Day? I would love for him to be here for Christmas Eve and wake up with his brothers. I think that it would do all of them some good and have someone for Aiden to hang out with. His brothers just don't seem to get him like Danny does."

"It is the age thing. Jake loves Danny and Aiden but he doesn't understand them. He has always loved Cameron and when he first came back, the bond was still as strong as it was before he was kidnapped. I just hope that he realizes that Aiden and Danny can be great brothers to him too just like Cameron does."

"Okay, let's pick a date. I say in May. The third Saturday of the month which is May 21. I want you to know that I would do anything for you. I just want to make you happy. I have been in love with you for so long and with everything that has happened, you mean more to me than words can say. I can't wait to be Mrs. Jason Quartermaine. I love that you know me so well and that you still love me even with everything that I have put you through."

"I can say the same for me to you. We have both been going back and forth so long that sometimes I never thought that we could or would be together. It wasn't because I didn't love you but I put everyone ahead of our feelings and now you are the only one that matters to me. That and our sons. I just want you to know that."

Jason and Elizabeth looked out at the balcony and then went to bed. The next day was going to be hectic but filled with a lot of love. Elizabeth just wanted everything to be perfect for her first Thanksgiving with everyone in the new house.

Jason woke up before the sun came out. He watched his fiancée sleep peacefully. He went downstairs and started up the coffee. Their cook was there and had put in the turkey. She had left a set of instructions for Elizabeth to follow for the day. The list told her everything that she needed to do and at what temperature and which oven. The desserts were already. The cook and Elizabeth prepared the desserts the day before and a lot of the sides. The stuffing was already in the turkey and put into the oven for their dinner to be served at two.

The boys were helping both Jason and the cook before their mother came downstairs. She was happy that everyone was getting along. The parade was on and so Elizabeth turned on the television for everyone to watch it. Elizabeth hugged their cook and thanked her for helping her out. She gave her a big bonus so she could start on her children and grandchildren's Christmas presents.

Elizabeth saw the list and she knew what she had to do to get ready for the rest of the day. She watched the parade from the kitchen and she knew that one year they would go to see the parade in person. It was one thing that she had always wanted to do.

It was soon time for everyone to start coming over to celebrate the holiday. Laura, Nik and Spencer came in right before his brother, Lucky. Aiden and his father brought in some beautiful flowers and Michelle brought some wine for the dinner.

Laura had made a couple of pies for the dinner and Nik also brought some wine too. Spencer and Aiden went into the living room and were watching the parade with the rest of the guys.

Max, Milo, Francis and Johnny came in with their dates for the dinner. There was plenty of family and friends for the day. Jason had also invited Monica and Tracy for the dinner. Tracy said that she would just stay home and have pizza as was tradition. Monica was excited to have a real Thanksgiving meal.

Laura, Monica and Elizabeth went into the kitchen and started to check on all the food. Michelle came back to help too. The women took their time in getting everything ready while they had started drinking the wine that both Nik and Michelle brought over. The guys then disappeared into the man cave to watch the football game.

Elizabeth wanted to toast to the women there who were helping her celebrate. The wine was going to their head but they didn't mind. Elizabeth went and put on the Hallmark Channel and they watched the Christmas movies that the channel was famous for. "I want to thank each and every one of you for taking time out of your life to be in our lives today. I am truly grateful that you all have made it here today and that we get to celebrate."

The next hour, things were being put on the table and the guys came up from the basement to have dinner. Jason turned off the television and everyone took each other's hands and he said the blessing.

"I am so thankful for being here today and knowing who I am to each and every one of you. This time last year, I had a wonderful Thanksgiving but this year it is even better. I have made such great new friends and I realized that I never lost my old friends. I am thankful that Elizabeth has agreed to be my wife and will marry me in my grandmother's rose garden in May. I also want to thank Lucky for finding our son, Jake. He is very special to all of us and having him back in our lives has made it that much better. I am also thankful for Cameron and Aiden because they took me without question and made me feel that I could learn to love and trust again. Everyone here is special and I am blessed to have all of you in my life. I want to thank God for bringing us all here together under this roof and loving and protecting us from harm. Thank you and let's eat."

Everyone then sat down and had a wonderful meal. When everyone was done, the men decided that they would wash the dishes and put everything away. The boys were to keep the women company so they wouldn't try to clean up after making such a wonderful meal. When the kitchen was cleaned up everyone went outside. It was a beautiful fall day and the area was so pretty that you just wanted to go for a walk.

The boys loved hearing the crunching of the leaves under their feet. The guys found a football and started tossing it back and forth. Elizabeth went to show everyone her studio. She hadn't been able to use it yet because it was not quite finished. It still had a few things to work out before it was truly ready. One side of the studio was for her interior designs and the other side was for her paintings. She loved it and knew that it would be ready by Christmas but it would be too cold to go back and forth all the time so she had a room down the hall from the master bedroom that she used for her designs.

"Elizabeth, this house is so beautiful. I heard that you have a feature on one of the new interior design magazines. That is great sweetie. I am so proud of you."

"Thanks, Laura. I appreciate the confidence you give me."

They all went back inside and the desserts were put out so everyone could have their favorites. Danny called his father from Florida. He told him to have a Happy Thanksgiving and that he couldn't wait to see him next month. Jason told him about his plans for Christmas and also that he was getting married to Lizzie in May.

Danny and Lizzie got along great and he called her that because he couldn't say Elizabeth that well. Elizabeth loved the name and some of the guys including Jason would also call her that.

The rest of the day flew by and soon everyone was leaving. Aiden was going to spend a little more time with his father and Michelle at Nik's house. Monica had asked Jake and Cameron to come over to her house to spend the night. This left Jason and Elizabeth alone for the evening.

"I can't believe how quiet this house can get when everyone leaves. Francis and Johnny are hanging out at their place further back on their property. I put the security system on and I think that we need to go check out our hot tub."

They went upstairs and got changed. Elizabeth grabbed her robe and headed towards the hot tub. She waited for it to get to the right temperature and sat down. Jason joined her and the two of them started kissing.

"I feel so lucky to have such a strong, handsome man beside me. I love you Jason and I want to make you as happy as you make me."

Elizabeth took off her bikini and Jason just starred at her. He knew that he was the luckiest man in the world to have such a beautiful woman want to marry him. He took off his trunks and brought Elizabeth over to him.

She straddled him and they continued to kiss. She looked up and saw the moon and stars looking over them. She felt a peace come over her that she hadn't realized was missing from her life. She kissed him deeply and impaled herself on him. She got into a rhythm that both of them enjoyed. It was nice and slow and they both took their time getting to know their bodies again. It was not often that they got to be alone long enough to be able to just enjoy their lovemaking like they were now.

"Tell me Lizzie, why do you love me? I can tell you why I do but you know why I love you. You make me happier than I have ever been in my life. I can say that because I remember everything. You make me feel that I can accomplish anything that I set my sights on and you make my life worthwhile. I just want to make you scream my name and I want to scream your name. Come for me Lizzie, tell me how much I make you feel alive."

"You talk too much. Faster Jase. I need you now. Then I will tell you everything you want. I want to feel you fill me up and then some. Please Jase, harder."

The two of them stopped talking and just went with it. Elizabeth started to really turn up the heat and she could feel herself about to crash. She just needed to feel that Jason was right there with her. She felt that he was just about there when she really grinded herself on him. It was one explosion after another. She came first and then he followed her right afterwards.

They went back inside and fell asleep for a few hours and then they were hungry for each other one more time. It was like magic when the two of them were together. There was no need for words because they both knew what the other needed. Then Elizabeth told him that she needed some other kind of nourishment. Johnny and Francis were raiding the refrigerator at about the same time.

The four of them started laughing when they all raced for the food at the same time. Johnny and Francis heated up their meals first and took some of the desserts a couple bottles of beer back to their houses out on the back part of the property.

Johnny had met a really sweet girl that was the receptionist where they all worked. She was a bit younger but she knew how to make Johnny happy and that was all they wanted for him.

Diane and Francis had started up something after her and Max had broken up. He was bringing her dinner and dessert and spending the night at her place. Jason liked that his top two men had someone in their lives. It made it easier for him to have one too.

Jason walked the guys out the back door while Elizabeth got the dinners nuked too. She gave him a bottle of beer and she had a glass of wine. She knew that she wanted to go to Italy and see the villas out there and check out a couple of wineries in Tuscany. Jason knew that because that was where he planned on taking her for their honeymoon.

They went down into the basement to watch some movies and play some pool. The food was great and it was nice to keep everything so easy going. "I think that we should play strip pool. I want to see you lose that robe and have you right here on the new pool table."

"Now, do you think it will be that easy for you to get me naked. I would like to see you get naked on the pool table so I can have my wicked way with you. Just because I am a woman does not mean that I can't beat you. I love you Jason but you seem to forget that I can play too."

"Yeah, and who taught you how to play. I think that you might need more lessons. Let's go, the evening is just beginning."

The phone started ringing for both of them. Their sons wanted their attention. Danny called to say good night to his dad. "Hi Dad! Tony asked mom to marry her and she said "yes". I know that you and Lizzie are getting married and now mom is too. I think that she plans on doing that when we come up here. Tony is from up this way and I think that his family lives near Buffalo. I am happy that both of you are going to be happy too."

"Tell your mom and Tony congratulations. I am happy for you Danny. I can't wait till you come up here next month. We will be getting our Christmas tree when you arrive. Lizzie said that we have to wait till you get here. She wants your help on picking the prettiest tree. We love you up here. I am glad that your mother is finding the happiness that she deserves."

Aiden was calling his mother the same time that Danny was calling his father. "Mom, I am so glad that I got to spend some time with dad and Michelle. Dad has proposed to Michelle and she said "yes". I am going to be in another wedding. I can't believe it. His work has him down in Nashville and that they will be getting married this April down there. He plans on either coming to get me and get me or having Nik bringing me down there when he goes to see dad get married."

"Well, it looks like your brother, Danny beat you to the punch. Danny's mother is getting married too. Her boyfriend just proposed to her too. I think that our family will be talking about weddings in our sleep. I am very happy for your father and Michelle. They are both very lucky to find each other and finding love. Tell them congratulations for me. I love you sweetie and I will see you tomorrow."

When Elizabeth got off the phone, they decided to call Monica and say goodnight to Jake and Cam. "Hi mom! It looks like everyone around Port Charles is getting married. Danny called me up to say that Tony proposed to Sam and she said yes. They plan on getting married up here when they come up next month. Aiden called Elizabeth and told her that Lucky popped the question to Michelle and she said yes. They are getting married in Nashville this April. I guess we will be the last ones to get married because ours is in May. Can I speak to the boys and say good night?"

"I guess there will be a lot of excitement for everyone's weddings. I will get them. I love you Jason." Cam and Jake were right there to say good nights to their parents. They were very happy for their younger brothers and their parents' happiness.

"What are the odds that both of our sons would call at the same time with the same news. I don't think that we could even think that. I guess everyone is celebrating Thanksgiving in a big way this year."

"I say that we get back to our game and then head up for bed. I think that we will need our rest with a year that we are about to get."


	7. Chapter 7

The next day Lucky brought Aiden back to his mother's place. He was very happy and that made Elizabeth almost start to cry. "Lucky, don't get all sweet on me. I am very happy for you and Michelle. She is a beautiful young woman who has amazing taste. I know that you will make each other incredibly happy. I also found out that Sam and Tony are getting married when they come up next month. I just want you to know that both Jason and I are very happy that everyone has found someone to love like we love each other. You have been the best friend that I could have ever had and I am so proud that we can be at a point in our lives that we can be happy for each other and truly mean it. You have found someone who makes you feel that you can rule the world and that is how I feel too with Jason."

"I forgot how much you like to talk. Thank you for being there for me when I needed you and also for letting me go when I needed to leave. I love our sons very much and I want you to know if you ever need me for anything, that I am just a phone call away. Aiden is a very important part of my life and he would not be here if it wasn't for you. Jason is a very lucky man and I will be the first to say that I was surprised but not too surprised that he chose you over Sam. The two of you have a bond that will never go away and it shouldn't. I am also happy that my father and I were able to bring Jake home to you and Jason. When I thought he died, it crushed me. I am glad that we were wrong but I pray that we find out why Helena took him and what she did to him. Okay, I have to go. I will call Aiden when Michelle and I get back to Nashville. I want you to know that I will always care about you and you will always have a piece of my heart."

They two of them hugged and Lucky said good bye to Elizabeth and Aiden. Jason came downstairs and saw Lucky leave. There were tears in Elizabeth's eyes and he knew it was because of their connection so he didn't say anything.

"Aiden, would you like to go with me to pick up your brothers at the Quartermaine Estate. I could use your help in trying to figure out what to get your mom for Christmas."

"I would love to go but I can tell you that mom will tell you that she is happy and has everything that she wants and needs right now with you here with us. She is someone that doesn't need all the pretty trinkets but I do have some things in mind that you could do for her."

Elizabeth just looked at her two men and laughed. "You both are too much. You are right, Aiden. When Danny comes to town and we find the right Christmas tree then I will have everything that I want for Christmas. I just want my whole family under this roof for Christmas eve. That includes all our boys, Cameron, Jake, Aiden and Danny. I want you to know that I am very proud to be your mom and I hope that Danny feels that he has a friend but I would never take the place of his mother. That would be like Jason being your friend but never taking the place of your father. We just want everyone to be happy and loved."

Jason looked at his beautiful fiancée and realized that what she said was true. He didn't want anything either because he had everything that he ever wanted or needed. His family was all the he needed to be happy. He took Aiden and they went to Monica's to pick up Jake and Cam. His mother showed Aiden to the kitchen where there were cookies and his brothers. She looked at Jason and knew that he wanted to say something but was not sure what to say.

"Okay. Spill it. I know that I am not much but I will listen to you and help you figure out what you want to do for the holidays. Elizabeth doesn't want anything because she already has everything that she could want. She is also someone who can't be bought like Carly would. I think that you should get her something that will warm her heart. Just remember her loves are art and family. She is also into interior design too. She has been giving me some help in redoing the family room and my new bedroom."

The boys and Tracy came into the family room. Jake ran to his father and gave him a big hug. "Cook makes the most amazing cookies but I couldn't tell him that he can't make brownies like my mom can. I helped grandma Monica pick out some cool Christmas decorations. Cam helped too but he was on his phone most of the night talking to Emma. I think we should send him to California for the holidays so he can spend some time with her."

Cam gave Jake a look that told him that he needed to shut up. "I don't think that Jason wants to know all that but a trip to California does sound good."

Jason took the boys home and knew what he wanted to do for Elizabeth for Christmas. He thought about finding her a space in town that she could do her interior design work and also a gallery. She had the studio in the back and that was fine but if she really wanted a business she needed a bigger space than what she had now.

The boys were starving when they came back so Elizabeth was able to warm up some leftovers from the day before. She also had started to find gifts for her boys and that included Jason. She put in a couple of orders and she had them shipped to Johnny so that he could hide them for her.

The next week everyone was getting excited about Christmas. They knew that the decorating could start but they had to wait for Danny to get the Christmas tree. The boys wanted to decorate their own rooms and they each got their own Christmas tree. They found one for Danny and put football decorations on it. They had decorations for both Buffalo and also Jacksonville. The boys also put on the tree, trucks, bikes and motorcycles. It was a perfect little tree for his room and it had pictures of all the family including Sam, Tony, Alexis and his aunts. The boys had so much fun making the tree for Danny's room that they almost forgot that they had to do it for themselves too.

Jason, Francis and Johnny had found one of the old warehouses near the pier that was for sale. It was in an area that was up and coming so they thought it would be a perfect place for them to buy for Elizabeth. They got a really good price on the warehouse and knew that they could have it ready for Christmas eve.

The men that worked for Jason, Francis and Johnny were the best in the area. They helped build Jason's home and also worked on a couple of other properties that were being put up for sale.

Jason knew where he wanted the gallery to be at and the interior design part was on the top floor. The office for the gallery and interior design business were made into one office on the bottom floor. Jason would make sure that she had staff for both businesses and that she would be the one doing the books for both parts. He was thinking about if she needed an assistant and who that could be for her.

He wanted the building to be a surprise but he wanted to know what she would like and how she would set it up. He decided that he needed someone to talk to her and find out what she wanted for her place without her really knowing about it.

Elizabeth was doing the same for him. She was trying to find a building where he could work on his favorite hobby which was restoring motorcycles. She also thought it would be good to have it close to his construction office. She knew him well enough to be able to design it but she needed some help on finding the perfect spot to buy and fix up.

"Francis, I need a favor from you and I need like yesterday. I want to surprise Jason with something that I think that he would really want. I know that he loves to restore and fix up motorcycles and I thought that he should have a place to work on them and sell them if he wanted or just show them off. Do you have any idea where I could find a place like that and how I can purchase it without him knowing about it?"

"I will be there in a half hour. Put on some coffee for me and we will figure this out. Call Diane and see if she can also help with the surprise."

Elizabeth put on a pot of coffee and called Diane. She was very intrigued and also knew about Jason's surprise for her. She loved how the other thought of the perfect gift for each other. She couldn't wait to help her and also help him.

The housekeeper and cook were done for the day and left a very happy Elizabeth. Francis and Diane showed up together and made their way into the dining room. "I have my laptop out and I have seen a few properties that I really like but the one that I liked the most was just sold a little while ago. It would have been perfect for Jason. It is near the waterfront and his construction office. There is plenty of space to grow if he wanted too and maybe even get another building in there that could house both the construction company and his restoring business. I have so many ideas running through my head right now."

"Francis and I talked along the way and found a perfect place for you to start at. The property is near his construction company and also close to the waterfront. This building used to be one of his and Sonny's but it was sold a long time ago and it has been sitting for over a decade. I am not sure why no one has bought it but I heard that you can get it for a steal. It is just over $80,000. We could write it up so you don't have to put a big down payment and that the payment would be small enough that Jason wouldn't even know about it till he sees it. Then the two of you can figure out how to make the payments."

Elizabeth looked at Diane and knew that she really didn't have the money that she needed to do this but she could figure out a way to pay for it later. It was just getting the building that she wanted so badly and to fix it up so he would know how much he meant to her.

Diane and Francis went and purchased the building for Elizabeth. When the purchase was made, Elizabeth went down to look at it. Johnny was with her and he loved the way that his best friends loved each other. "Johnny, I was thinking about having this section of the building be where he would repair the motorcycles. There would be an area for his customers to sit and relax in while their bikes were being worked on. Right next to it would be Jason's office. He would need a receptionist and also a bookkeeper. I think over in this section of the warehouse we would place his tools and other equipment for his business. Do you think that I am missing anything? Should I check out a few auto repair shops and see if I need anything else."

She knew what she wanted for him and that was the best. Johnny took them out of the warehouse and went to show her a few of his friends repair shops. She could see that she had the right concept but there were a few things that she needed for the employees. She also needed to make sure that there were different models of the motorcycles and they should be in different years too. A big screen television and a few vending machines were needed. There should also be fresh coffee and a water fountain too.

"Thank you, Johnny. I am not sure how I can make it up to you, Francis and Diane. You all are the best."

"I was wondering what would do if that warehouse was for you? You could use it as an art gallery or maybe an interior design business."

"I am not sure. I have to finish school before I could even think about that but if I were to do that I think that I could turn it into a first rate art gallery. I guess if it had another floor the top floor could be used for storage and also my design business. The bottom floor was definitely for the art gallery. I would have different sections of the building for different types of art. I would have paintings in one area, things made with clay or wood in another section. I would want one area for photographs and one section for new talent. That would be the most prominent section. It would not matter what type of art it was for the new talent section. There should be a sitting area where there would be catalogs of the art and where I have it at. There would be an office in which I would use for both the art gallery and for the interior design business. There should be a few of my paintings in my office and in different areas but they would not be for sale. I want to sell other people's art first. If they see something in the catalogs that they have to have and it is one of my pieces that I will have to think about before selling it to just anyone."

Johnny loved her ideas and knew that he could tell Diane and she could make sure that Francis and Jason got it for her. This was going to be an awesome Christmas and his two friends didn't even know how lucky they were.

The next two weeks, things were starting to take shape at both warehouses. Jason was a bit curious about the other warehouse that Francis bought. He wanted to know what Francis wanted for and why he was being so secretive. He knew that he would find out soon enough but he was too excited about what he was doing for Elizabeth. His son, Danny was going to be coming in the next day and so his mind was on that.

Elizabeth had gone several times with Diane to see the warehouse that she had bought for Jason. The more that was done to it the more excited she got. She was also excited about seeing Danny the next day. Her sons were also excited about Danny coming the next day. Then they were going to get their Christmas tree. The house looked beautiful and full of Christmas cheer.

Sam, Tony and Danny got into Port Charles early the next afternoon. Tony had called his parents and told him that he made into Port Charles. They were staying at the Metro Court and they had their room ready for them whenever they got into town.

Sam saw her mother, Alexis headed towards them. "Mom is heading over here. Let's go and get this over with."

Alexis, Molly and Kristina were heading towards Sam, Danny and Tony. "Come over here mister. Your grandma Alexis has missed you so much." Danny ran over towards his grandmother and aunts. He hugged Alexis and gave her a kiss on her cheek.

"Grandma. I missed you too. Daddy is picking me up in a little while so we can go get a Christmas tree. Did you get a Christmas tree too?"

"Danny, we were waiting for you too. Kristina just got in from college so we were waiting for both of you. We have a lot of plans on spoiling our favorite nephew, right Krissy?"

Danny hugged his aunts and then went over to Tony to help get the luggage. "I see that your son really likes Tony. That must make your marriage a lot easier. I know that you will be happy and that is all that matters to me."

Sam looked at her mother and realized that she was right. Tony was the perfect man for her and that Jason could never make her feel as safe or as good as he did. She never felt that she measured up to Jason but she felt that she did with Tony. They were getting married in two weeks on New Year's Eve at the Metro Court. She had been talking with Carly and she had everything ready for their big night. Danny was staying with Jason until Christmas morning. Then when they went on their honeymoon, he was staying with his father again. Jason had plans for them to go to Disney World right after the wedding. He had already told Sam and Tony about the plans and Sam thought that was perfect.

Later that afternoon, Sam brought Danny over to Jason and Elizabeth's home. She knocked on the door and saw Jason standing there looking really good in his blue shirt and jeans. His shirt matched his eyes and he looked so happy and not dark like he did when they were together.

"Daddy, are we still getting a Christmas tree today? My grandma, Alexis is going to take me tomorrow to help her pick out hers but then she is bringing me right back here."

Elizabeth, Jake, Cameron and Aiden headed down the stairs when they heard Danny's voice.

"Sam before you go, we want to show you Danny's bedroom. I think that he will love it and you will too."

Elizabeth brought Sam and Danny upstairs to show him his room. Jason and the boys followed after them. "I have to tell you that Jake, Aiden and Cameron picked out the ornaments and put them on. I helped with the lights and the paper chain. Jason put on the star at the top. We hope that you both like his room."

Danny ran all around his room. He couldn't believe that it was all his. He loved his little tree and he took out his phone and took a picture of it. He wanted Tony to see that the Jacksonville Jags were on his little tree. "Thank you guys. I love it so much. Mom, can you believe this tree is mine. Dad, I want you to know that I am so excited about Mom getting married to Tony. He is being sent to New England next year when his contract is up in Jacksonville. We won't be that far away from you all then."

Sam had already told him but he was glad that Danny was happy about the move. He knew that Danny loved Florida and that he had made new friends at his school and soon he would have to leave them.

Sam said her goodbyes and told the boys that they did a great job on Danny's room. Danny was ready to go with everyone to find the perfect Christmas tree. Jason had found a tree farm not far from their new place and so that was where they decided to get their tree.

The tree farm was picture perfect and with the snow on the ground, it just looked like something from a Christmas movie that Elizabeth loved to watch. They went to the back of the tree farm and made their way back towards the front. A lot of trees already had tags on them because most people picked them out in November and then came to get them later. Jason and Elizabeth promised to let the boys pick it out but what they didn't know was that Jason had bought a whole section and they had special tags on them. They wanted the four boys to agree on the tree and then the rest of the trees would be there for families who could not afford one.

Jason and Elizabeth had also found out about some of the families at the school where they sons went to that were not going to be able to have a Christmas. Jason, Monica and a few of the other families had decided that they were going to buy Christmas for these twenty families. They also bought for some of the elderly that lived in the nursing homes in town that didn't have families anymore. They wanted them to have a special Christmas and so they wanted to make sure that they all got some new clothes and blankets. A couple of books and maybe something else that they really wanted but didn't know how to ask for it.

Jake's best friend in school was from a poor family. His father was in the military and his mother stayed home to take care of Charles and his two little sisters. His father was supposed to be coming home for the holidays but was not sure if he could make it. Charles' mother was able to keep a roof over their head and food on the table but not much else.

When Jake found out about Charles, he told his parents that he wanted to help his classmates and he didn't want anything for Christmas. He was happy with what he had and knew that his friends deserved to be that happy too.

Jason was able to find out a little more about Charles' father and made sure that he would be home for Christmas. He found out that Charles' father was in construction in both the army and back home in the states. He was able to talk to Charles' father and offered him a job. He was going to be part of his construction crew working as a supervisor. He was going to make sure that he was paid enough so that he could take care of his family without them going without anything.

Joe was Charles's father and he was going to surprise his son and family at school before Christmas break. He was also going to get one of the Christmas trees and be able to put presents under it and have a great meal to eat. When Jason talked to Joe on the phone, he could tell that Joe was very grateful for the help but wished that he didn't need it.

Jason told him thank you for what he was doing to protect his family and their country and that was good enough. There were a few other families that were in the same position that Jake's friend was in and Jason wanted to help them all.

Money was never an important part of his life or his family's life. He knew that what was happening to people in Port Charles was happening everywhere. He wished he could do more but he couldn't. The boys found the tree that they all could agree on. It was beautiful and it would look great in their home. The men that worked at the tree farm was given the address for the tree because they didn't have room enough for them and the tree. They also picked up a beautiful wreath to put on their door.

When they were finished Jason went up to the owner and paid for the rest of the trees that were not tagged. He wanted families that could not afford one, to get one. The owner thanked Jason but he told him that if he could do more he would. He was thinking of buying out the whole crop of them next year and let everyone get one for free. The ones that could afford, could pay it forward and put money into a donation for the homeless shelters in town. It could also go to other charities.

Jason took everyone to Kelly's for some hot chocolate. He had called Johnny and asked him how everything was going at the gallery. "Everything is on time for Christmas eve. I know that Elizabeth will love it because she basically told me what she wanted if she had an art gallery. I know she will be thrilled. Come on over tomorrow, and you can see how it is shaping up."

Elizabeth made a phone call when they got into town. She called Francis and asked how things were going for Jason's chop shop. "Things are great. I know that you are busy so come over tomorrow and you can see what we have been up too."

Everyone went into Kelly's and sat at one of the bigger tables. They ordered hot chocolate and some cookies. The waitress there starred at Jason like he was a gourmet meal. That was when Elizabeth held his hand flashing her diamond ring that he gave her.

Jason had to laugh because he knew that Elizabeth got a little jealous when young women look at her man that way. "I am the only woman that can look at you like that. I just wanted her to know that we are together."

"It is okay. I am glad that I have you to protect me from those mean young women. She might have wanted to kiss me in front of all of you and I would not be able to stop myself." Elizabeth elbowed Jason in the stomach for that comment which made the four boys around it laugh.

When they finished, Jason gave her a really nice tip that Elizabeth did see but she didn't care because he was going home with her. She remembered how it was when she started out. It was never easy.

When they got home, Johnny and Francis had helped put the Christmas tree up in the family room. It looked beautiful but very tall. They knew that they were going to need to hire some people to decorate it especially towards the top. It was very high and dangerous for the boys to try to do that. She did let the boys going into the attic to bring some of the decorations for the tree down. She also realized that she needed a lot more decorations for the tree.

"Who wants to go with me to buy more decorations. I also need to find someone who can help decorate the top part of the tree." All four boys wanted to go so Jason got to take them out again. They went to several stores and bought them out. They found a temp company that had employees who would love to work on their Christmas tree. They said that they would be over early the next morning.

Jason brought everyone back home and Elizabeth heated up their dinner. The boys helped set the table and Jason brought out the food so they could eat. It was getting late so after dinner, they went and got ready for bed. The next few weeks were going to be exhausting and long but they were all together and that is what mattered most.


	8. Chapter 8

The next week went by fast. Sam and Tony met with Tony's parents to talk about the wedding. Sam just wanted family and a few friends. She didn't want anything splashy and Tony was fine with that. The mother of the bride and the mother of the groom had different ideas about that. They wanted it more like an event.

"Mom, I am telling you for the last time that this is Sam's and my wedding. We love each other and we want it fun but low key. I know that you are proud of me but I am not your trophy that you can show off whenever you want too. Sam is talking to her mother about this too. We have everything all set for the Metro Court and that is it. I love you but if you try to make Sam feel bad or try to make the wedding to be your social event, Sam and I will just elope."

Tony's mother, Isabella just looked at her son and wanted to scream at him. She knew that Sam was trying to bring her son down to her station in life when he was so much better than her.

Sam was able to reason with Alexis and also warned her about them eloping if she and Tony's mother try to make changes to the wedding.

Danny was having a great time hanging out at his father's house. He loved being there with his older brothers. He knew that one day, his mother would have another child and so he could then be a big brother. His brothers showed him what a good brother should do for their younger brothers. Cam was the best big brother that he could have. Jake was great especially since they shared the same father and he thought of Aiden as a great friend and brother.

It was Jake, Aiden and Cameron's last day before Christmas break. Jake knew about the surprise that his father did for his friend, Charles. He couldn't wait till his friend's father showed up and Charles got his greatest wish for Christmas.

There was a Christmas party for the students and teachers. Family members were also invited to the party. Jason, Danny and Elizabeth were there to see the surprise that Jason helped arrange.

Santa had come in and was giving to all the students. The parents that were being helped for Christmas came a little earlier to get the gifts that had been bought for the families. They also had food given to them and a special ticket to pick out their Christmas tree. The whole community came around and helped the families at all of the different schools. The need was there every year but for some reason, the people in the area that could help decided to do more than they normally would do. It started as one family trying to help another family and soon everyone who could help did and there was always someone else they knew needed help.

Then the big moment came. Charles was hanging out with Jake and the room became quiet. Then Santa had come back with a surprise. "Okay, I have found out that I seemed to have forgot one special gift for one family. I have the pleasure to introduce to you Lt. Joseph LeGrande. He is back from his deployment to Afghanistan. We are all very thankful for your service and we are proud to have you as a part of our community."

Charles and his two younger sisters ran up to their father. Their mother just saw him when she got the kids presents for Christmas. She was so sweet and she had gone to school for accounting. Jason knew that she would be a great fit for Elizabeth at the art gallery and offered her a job, the first of the year, like her husband.

The next couple of days after that the finishing touches of both warehouses were being finished. Elizabeth loved the motorcycle repair shop looked like. It was very impressive and it was masculine enough for the clientele but it also had some touches that Jason would know was all about the love that he and Elizabeth had for each other.

Jason went over the art gallery and saw the way it looked. Diane had said that Elizabeth had talked about having an art gallery one day after she finished school and that was how she wanted it to look. Jason even found some of Elizabeth's painting and had them put in different places in the gallery and in her office.

It was Christmas eve and Jason could not wait another minute to show Elizabeth her Christmas present. He knew that the boys were first but he also wanted to make sure that he had time the next day to show Elizabeth what he bought for her.

What Jason didn't know was that Elizabeth was going to give her man, his present that day. She had talked to Johnny and Francis and they both told her that she needed to do that during the day on the 24th and then she could concentrate on her boys.

"Jason, I want to show you something. Remember that warehouse that I bought. I thought you might come over here and take a look at it." Jason said that he would be over there in a half hour.

Elizabeth met Johnny and Francis at the motorcycle shop. She walked in and she loved the vision and the craftsmanship that went into the shop. She knew that Jason would love it. She just wanted him to know how happy he made her.

Jason showed up a few minutes later and saw Elizabeth talking to Johnny. "Jason, this is my Christmas present to you. Diane and Francis helped me buy the warehouse and I hope you like what we have done to it."

Jason walked into the shop and was totally amazed by how it looked. He could tell that Elizabeth took a lot of time to figure out what he needed for the motorcycle shop. "I love my gift from you. You make me feel so special and the fact that you knew what I wanted before I even did. Thank you."

They toured the whole shop and then Jason realized that he needed to show Elizabeth her surprise that day too. "I have a surprise for you too. I was going to wait till tomorrow but since we are close by it, I think that we should go check out your Christmas present now."

The two of them got on the back of Jason's motorcycle and went to the other warehouse. Johnny was there and opened the door for them. Elizabeth already knew that it was an art gallery. The way it looked from the outside had already changed so much from when she first saw it. She looked in the window and she realized why Johnny had asked her what she would like in an art gallery if she had one.

Elizabeth already knew what she was about to see but she really didn't realize just how much they were able to do with what she asked for. The construction company did everything that she wanted but seemed to know more about her likes than she even did. The office was split into two sections. She then realized that the warehouse had two floors and the upstairs was for the interior design business. She saw the reception area where her clients could sit and look at design magazines for her interior design business. There were also catalogues that she was going to fill with the art in which she was going to have to go out and find. She needed new artists and that was going to be fun part of her job. She saw her old paintings in different parts of the building including upstairs in the interior design.

"I have the most wonderful fiancée that a girl could ever wish for and I am so happy that you are mine. You know that telling Johnny what I would want in an art gallery was something that was supposed to be for further down the road but I think that I can do the school thing and also the work thing. At least I hope so. I might be overwhelmed at first but in a very good way. What would I do without you. I want to be able to thank Diane because I know that you guys are good but the design had to be her."

Diane and Francis walked into the gallery and she laughed. "This is all on you. I do understand the concepts on what you like and don't like. When we were working on Jason's repair and restoring shop I could see what you would want for your gallery. We have a connection that made it easy for me. It is like we were family from a long time ago. You are what I would love to have had as a daughter. You surprise me every day and that is not easy to do. I could only hope that I get as lucky as the two of you in finding the right person to be with forever. Francis is someone who I think could be the one but I don't want to scare him away."

The time was getting late and so Elizabeth and Jason thanked Diane, Johnny and Francis and headed home. "Are you going to spend the night at our place so you can see the boys' faces when they get their gifts tomorrow? I want you all there and they will be up early. Thank you for all the help that you all have given the two of us. You mean the world to us and today could not have happened without you."

Jason and Elizabeth had taken pictures of their presents to each other. They wanted their sons to see how much they loved each other with their gifts. Lucky and Michelle flew up that morning to surprise Aiden. Elizabeth met them at the airport and put them up at the Metro Court. Lulu, Dante and Rocco picked them up and brought them over to the house.

Laura, Nik and Spencer came over too and were so happy to see Lucky and Michelle. They were staying in town till New Year's Day. The two of them had been invited to Sam and Tony's wedding so it was a great reason to stay.

Monica and Tracy went over to see the boys and see how the house was decorated. The next morning, they were also going over and then Danny would be going back with Sam. Aiden would be going with Lucky.

The fire was going in the fireplace. The house was beautifully decorated and there were four boys who were behaving very well so they could get their greatest wishes for their Christmas. Jason and Elizabeth had the boys were busy putting presents under the tree for everyone the next day. The doorbell rang and Danny ran to get it. Alexis, Molly and Kristina were there to bring Danny and his brothers their Christmas presents. There was a bunch of finger foods for everyone to eat while gathering together. Sam and Tony were the next to arrive. They also had presents for all of the boys. Sam looked beautiful and Elizabeth could tell by her glow that she was pregnant. When she didn't want anything to drink but water, it cemented her belief that Sam was pregnant.

The next set of guests were Laura, Nik and Spencer. Cameron was happy to see Spencer and the two of them went up to Cam's room to call Emma. Laura and Nik put their presents under the tree for the boys too.

Monica and Tracy were the next ones to arrive. Monica was spending the night so she was sure not to miss out on anything. The snow was really started to howl and the younger ones were afraid that Santa wouldn't make it.

The doorbell rang again. Aiden went to open it up and saw his father and Michelle. Rocco, Dante and Lulu were there too. Dante knew that the roads would be closed but Rocco was too little to worry about missing out on Santa. When they got home, Santa would have left everything for him there anyway. They had all of his presents under the tree before they went to get Lucky and Michelle.

"I just got word that the roads going into and out of Port Charles is closing. We will have to stay here tonight but I have it on great authority that Santa can still fly his sleigh here because Rudolph is on duty."

Everyone gathered around the tree and toasted to a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Sam looked a bit peaked and so Elizabeth took her into the nearest bathroom. "I can get your room ready for you and Tony on the bottom floor. We have plenty of room and I will have some crackers and soda close by for when you wake up."

Sam looked at Elizabeth and wondered how she guessed it. "Tony is the only one that knows. I haven't told my mother and Tony hasn't said anything to his mother."

"You were glowing when I saw you come in. Then when you didn't want anything but water to drink, the nurse in me came out. I am sorry. I will not say anything to anyone about this. Just know that I am here for you if you need me."

Johnny, his girlfriend Katie came in from the back. He came in and helped Katie take her coat off. Francis and Diane were coming right in from behind them. They had present for the boys too.

"Elizabeth, I think that you should show off your Christmas present from your wonderful fiancée. Jason, you need to do the same. I love how these two love each so much that they gave each other the most romantic gifts to each other. Well, except maybe buying an island retreat like Francis did for me."

Elizabeth showed pictures of her art gallery and interior design company. Jason showed pictures of his motorcycle repair and restore shop. There were pictures so later the pictures could be made into something that could be blown up and put up on their walls as pieces of art. There was also video done so everyone could see the different areas of each place.

Monica looked at her son and future daughter-in-law. "I say Diane is right. The two of you are like the Gift of Magi or something. I need someone like that in my life." Tracy agreed with Monica on needing someone like that.

"Diane, okay let us see your island. You can't say anything like that without the proof." Francis laughed but he did buy an island for the two of them in the South Pacific. Johnny looked at Katie and realized that he needed to give her the present that she would love.

"Katie, while I am not the most romantic, I did get us something that you will love. I have two tickets to Dublin for St. Patrick's Day. There are a few other gifts but I would rather give them to you in private."

Katie laughed when she was nervous. She really cared about Johnny but a trip to Ireland was something that she never imagined. Johnny could see that she was a bit shyer about everyone knowing their business than he first suspected.

Johnny looked at Jason and he told him that it was okay. If he needed to go to his place that everyone understood. "Just remember that the roads are blocked so she will have to stay the night before you can take her home."

Johnny and Katie said their goodbyes to everyone and told them that they would be there in the morning to see the boys open their presents.

Francis and Diane soon left afterwards. Elizabeth had shown everyone where they were going to sleep. They loved the boys' rooms with their Christmas trees and decorations. Tony loved Danny's tree. "I guess we are going to have to add New England Patriots to the tree next year."

Everyone headed to their rooms. Jason was so happy and excited about the next morning. He wanted to see the looks on their faces when they saw everything that they had got from Santa and them. Elizabeth knew that this year was going to be a hard one to top. She was looking forward to her new business and she was going to have to do her business classes on-line. There was too much going on for her to even think about their upcoming wedding.

The next morning, Jason and Elizabeth were the first ones up. They went down into the kitchen and put on some coffee. They had a feeling that everyone was going to be getting up really soon and two hours later, everyone would be gone.

The first ones up after Jason and Liz were more of the parents. Soon everyone was up except for six sleeping boys. The night before had worn them out and it was nine o'clock and they were still asleep.

Jason had to laugh. How can this be happening? The adults are up and the children are still asleep on Christmas morning. Soon the rush of all the boys were heard coming down the stairs.

Rocco was up with Lulu and she gave him some of his presents. Nik gave Spencer some of his gifts but the one that he wanted the most, Cameron was also going to get.

Nik looked at Elizabeth to take the cue from her. "Okay, Cam. I know that in your heart that there is somewhere that you would rather be than here. Nik is doing the same for Spencer as I am doing for you."

Nik gave Spencer his present and Elizabeth gave her present to Cameron. The boys both opened up their new set of luggage. When they opened the main piece of luggage, there was a ticket to Berkeley, California. They were going to spend the week with Emma and her parents. Elizabeth had talked to Robin about the boys going to visit and Robin was happy to make their Christmas wish come true.

Spencer and Cameron were so happy that they were going to see Emma. They were flying out that afternoon and would be there eight hours later. The boys were going to be flying first class and the flight attendants would make sure that they were safe. Patrick was going to meet them at the airport.

Elizabeth could see how happy; Cameron was to be going to see Emma. Spencer was also very excited to see her too. The rest of the morning they were opening up gifts. Aiden got what he really wanted and that was to see his father. He was going to get to spend time with him that week and it made him feel really special.

Danny was happy with everything that he got and could not wait for when his mother was getting married. Jake was thrilled with what he got and especially what his best friend Charles got for Christmas. Jake knew that his Christmas wish was going to make a lot of boys and girls happy that year. He had a heart made of gold and it showed how much he really cared about everyone.

Charles had called him later that morning to tell Jake about his tree and presents. The one thing that he had always wanted was a place to live that he could have a dog. With everything that Jason had done for Joe, they were able to find a nice house to buy. Jason had co-signed and it happened to be one of their flips that they did. It had a security system and room for a dog. Charles had told Jake that both of his parents were going to be working with Jake's parents. His mother, Becky was very excited to be helping Elizabeth at the art gallery. Joe was very happy about getting a supervisor position at the construction company.

They were moving in the first week of January and that is when their parents were going to start their new jobs. Elizabeth found out that Jason had hired, Charles' mother to work with her in her office.

The last surprise was that when Cameron came home, they were all going to Disney World for a few days. They had to be back for school and work but a few days would not hurt them.

Aiden was going to the Metro Court and spend the week with his father and Michelle. He had a few other things for him there and didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Danny was going back with Sam and Tony. They had Danny's gifts there for him. Monica and Tracy asked if Jake wanted to spend the day with them.

This was going to give Jason and Elizabeth some time alone after taking Cameron to the airport. It was going to be sad to see everyone go but she knew the boys were happy and that was what was important.

Nik had taken Spencer home so he could start packing for his trip to see the Drake family. Cameron was already upstairs getting his things together. He had said goodbye to everyone and he could not wait to see Emma.

He got on his laptop to call her up. "Emma, I get to come see you today. Spencer and I are flying out this afternoon and your dad is picking us up. I can't wait to see you."

Emma knew about their trip but promised not to say anything. She knew that it was important to be truthful with both of her friends and it was also important to let them both know how important they are to each other.

Cameron and Spencer arrived at the airport and were about to have a great adventure in California. What a very happy and blessed Christmas everyone was having. Hopefully the new year would be just as blessed.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: I don't believe that I actually said what Tony's last name was and so I have their name now for the wedding. If I did say his last name before this, forgive me because I couldn't remember it. I hope you enjoy the wedding. I don't own the characters they belong to ABC and General Hospital.

It is the day before New Year's Eve. Alexis and Tony's mother are trying their best to compromise with Sam but it will not do them any good. Sam and Tony want their immediate family and some friends. They do not want people that they don't know there just to please the family.

"Mom, I have told you for the last time, you are not my wedding planner. Sam and I have it under control and we have everything that we want and we have invited everyone that we want. I do not want a circus for a wedding. Your friends and colleagues will have to support us in another way. Just think, next year I will be living in Boston and playing for the New England Patriots. You will not have to fly anywhere; you could just drive to see me."

"Tony, I just want what is best for you. You should know that by now. There are people that you need to meet so when you are finished with playing ball, you can do what you need to do to work in congress. This is what you have been working for and football was just a way to get into college."

"Mom, that is what you want for me. I don't want that. I have never wanted that. I am so happy playing ball and marrying Samantha. She is the world to me and her son, Danny is the greatest kid. Tomorrow, is the wedding and if you are not happy with what I am doing then we can go our separate ways. I will not allow you to meddle in my life and make my family feel like they are not good enough."

Tony's mother than stalked out of the restaurant and went back to her room. She knew that she needed to back off or she would lose her son but being a proud mother, she just couldn't do it.

Sam, Kristina and Molly went for their last fittings. The gowns were perfect and she was feeling a lot better today than the last few days. Tony was excited about the baby and they were not going to say anything until they were leaving. Elizabeth only knew because she guessed.

Jason was taking Danny for the day so Sam could do the things that she needed for her wedding. Danny loved hanging out with his father. They were working in his new motorcycle repair and restore shop. Danny and Jake were hanging with Jason for the day.

Elizabeth was at her art gallery getting things organized with Becky. She was someone that Elizabeth respected because she had put her life on hold so her husband could fight for our country. Her husband, Joe was with the children until school started up again. When they went back, he was going to start working for Jason at his construction company.

"I want to thank you for all that you have done for my family. The house that we were able to buy is so cute. It is the perfect size for us and know the kids can have a dog. Apartment living is not really good for having a dog. Charles thinks so highly of Jake and all that he has been through. The two of them have bonded over the past several months. I need to stop babbling so much. I just want you to know that what you have done for us and the other families means a lot to the community."

"You are welcome but it was Jake that wanted to help. He told us that he didn't want anything for Christmas because he had so much and his friends deserved to have happiness like he did. He had been taken from us for over four years. We grieved over him thinking that he had died but was actually kidnapped. He is the light in our family. I am still not sure what happened to him in Greece but after some intense therapy, we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Jake realized how lucky he was and saw that some of his friends could use some help. Now, that we have done this for Christmas, I was thinking that maybe we should set something up so it can continue throughout the year. There is a homeless shelter that is not far from here that I would like to start donating too. You are the business manager and I believe that you can find a way to help them weekly. I also want to help the nursing homes in the area. Can this be done?"

"I was thinking that when you sell something or when you do your interior designing that a cut from that could go to charity. You could also have one of your showings, be just for charity. The new artists will be showing off their talent and doing a good thing for the community at the same time. I think that your first showing should go to sponsoring one or both of those charities."

"I think that you are right. There is a need and I want to keep paying it forward."

Jake and Danny were watching their favorite television show when Carly walked into Jason's shop. She looked at the brothers and wondered how come, Jason didn't pick her and instead went for Elizabeth. "Jake, is your father around?"

"Yes, he is in his office." Jake pointed the way towards his father's office. Carly walked down there and tried to look as sexy as she could. Jake didn't like the way Carly looked at him and Danny. He really didn't like the way she looked at his dad.

"Mom, some mean old blonde is here bothering daddy."

"Jake, are you talking about Carly? Remember, I told you that they are friends. It is okay for your father to have friends. She is not a threat to our family so don't worry."

"Mom, please can you come over here. I want to go home."

"Becky, I am sorry but my son is not liking one of his father's friends being at the shop."

"I can hold down the fort and I will start looking for some new talent around here."

Elizabeth went down to her fiancée's shop. She walked in and saw Jake and Danny watching television. She then saw Carly trying to make a pass at Jason. She walked down to Jason's office when she saw Carly try to kiss Jason.

"Jason, I came by to get Jake. He called me to tell me to pick him up because he doesn't like or trust your friend here. Are you going to take the boys home or should I bring Danny back here and take Jake to my gallery?"

"I will take the boys home. Carly you will have to leave and never try to kiss me again. You and Sonny are married and I am engaged to the most beautiful woman in the world. Do you want me to take you and the boys to lunch first? I think that Kelly's is calling our name?"

"Yeah, let me call Becky first and see if there is anything that I can pick up for her while we are there."

Carly leaves but she is not happy. She really thought that by now, her best friend would realize that she was the one that should be with him.

Jake looks at his parents and is a very happy young boy. Danny and Jake are happy to go get something to eat and then head home. Elizabeth had a great lunch with her men and then took Becky something to eat and went back to work.

"Here is the sandwich you wanted. I have a coffee to go with it and a bottle of water. I think that we need to have a little break room added to the office. There were a few things that I added for Jason that I will need to add here. There is a young girl who is living in the homeless shelter that I was hoping to help. She had done some of the murals in the shelter and I bet that she would be a great new artist to show the people of Port Charles. Would you like to come with me when I go?"

"I would love that. I called my husband while you were gone and the children are doing very well and are so happy that their father is back with them. I am ready when you are."

The two of them left and went to the homeless shelter. It was one of three shelters that helped out the poor and homeless. The one that they were going to right now was just for women and children. There was an amazing need due to the factories leaving the area and going overseas.

"Hi! I am Elizabeth Webber and I would like to talk to the young lady that did the murals on your walls. Is she here?"

"Yes she is Ms. Webber. Thank you for all the kind donations and help that you have given us the past few months. Her name is Kerri and she is helping the children with some artwork. She loves working with the art supplies and keeping the children entertained. She is a single mom with a little three-year-old daughter named Holly."

"Kerri, can you come here for a minute? Ms. Webber would like to speak to you about your murals." Kerri and her daughter Holly came into the room and they both recognized Elizabeth right away.

"What can I do for you, Ms. Webber? I want to thank you for the art supplies that you donated to us here at the shelter. It is hard for the young ones to just stay still for a few minutes but having things to make or draw helps them out a lot."

"I was coming to ask you if you have any artwork that you would like to put into a show at my new art gallery. I saw your murals and I know talent when I see it. Do you have anything to show me?"

"I mainly sketch. I don't have much but I do have my sketch pads and pencils. I have been sketching the mothers and children living here in the shelter. There are a few runaways and I have helped them be reunited with their families through my drawings."

"I would love to see your work. I also love to sketch and I have been doing it since I was a young child. I think that I might have a place for you at my gallery. We can see how you pick it up and then maybe we can help you and your daughter find a place of your own. I don't want to push you but talent like yours should not be wasted."

"I was wanting to go to college to become an art teacher in elementary school. It is hard to get into college when you don't have a real address. I would love the chance to work with you but I don't have anyone to watch my daughter."

"There is a program in town not too far from where my gallery is that is accepting new clients. The program is to help out of work parents get a job because they do not charge for childcare. The ages of the children are put into different areas and when they are a certain age, they start school there. You can have her in the afternoon after her classes are over and maybe I will be able to set up a nursery right in the gallery. I just think that with your talent that you can change your future by using your gifts. I truly believe that God puts people into your life when you need them the most. If things don't work out or if you get a better offer, don't worry. I just want to see you get and take your chance."

"I am not sure why you think that I deserve a chance like this but thank you. I would love to show you my work and maybe I can work on some more for when your gallery actually opens."

"I was thinking that the first showing should be for the new talent and also for a couple of different charities including this homeless shelter."

The four of them go to her room where she sleeps with her young daughter. The sketch books are there under her bed. Elizabeth and Becky both look at the sketches and realize that she really did have a great talent.

"I was wondering, have you ever worked with oils? There are few of your sketches that I think would make beautiful paintings. These two are my favorites. I can see that you were in your apartment in New York City and you sketched the Brooklyn Bridge. You can take this and sketch onto the canvas and then paint it. It would be beautiful and you could make a lot of money or do what I did and hang it up so everyone can see it. That way, more people know about your art and can appreciate it. That is the reason why some of my artwork, I refuse to sell. My favorite pieces will always be my favorites. Another thing that I see you like to do is take photographs. You can use the photographs and make them into paintings or you can blow them up and sell them like that."

"I am beginning to see why you would make a great boss and mentor. I appreciate everything that you are doing for my daughter and myself. I don't know how I will be able to pay you back."

"I am not into having anyone pay me back. I want to pay it forward. When I really needed help, I had someone that mentored me. I knew that I could never repay this person for helping me out so much and helping me realize what kind of gifts I actually had. I realized that by helping others to help themselves would help more people. It is far better way to live your life."

Elizabeth and Becky said goodbye to Kerri and her daughter Holly. Elizabeth dropped off Becky at the gallery and locked up.

Elizabeth locked up and headed home. Danny was going to hang with them one more night and Jason was going to bring him to the Metro Court in time for the wedding. Sam was nervous and she didn't want Danny to get upset if there was any fighting with the adults. Sam was talking about the mother of the bride and mother of the groom versus her and Tony.

They ordered pizza and when the pizza arrived, they watched movies for the rest of the evening.

The rehearsal the night before went without a hitch. The only one that wasn't there was Danny and Tony had already practiced with him before they left for New York. He was the ring bearer. Molly and Kristina were her bridesmaids and Alexis was her maid of honor. She and Julian had broken up and he had left town with his sister, Ava.

Sam was going to walk down the aisle on her own. She was going to have her son go ahead of her and she was carrying her future daughter inside of her.

The next morning, Sam had stayed with her family until the ceremony. Alexis had people from her favorite spa and salon to come over and beautify herself and her daughters. Sam didn't really get to sleep well because she kept dreaming about her future mother-in-law trying to ruin the wedding day.

Kristina and Molly went to Kelly's and got them breakfast. When breakfast was over, the massages started. The four Cassadine women were in heaven. Once that was done, then the facials, manicures and pedicures started.

The hall was beautiful and Carly did a great job. She listened to what both Tony and Sam wanted and actually gave them that.

Sam had gone to her room at the Metro Court to finish getting ready. The ladies from the salon downstairs had gone up to her room and made sure that she and her wedding party were looking good by doing their hair and make-up.

When Elizabeth got over to the Metro Court, she brought up Danny for her. He was already in his tux and he looked so damn cute. "I had to bring Danny up to you. Jason was trying to help Tony relax and so I brought him up here. Danny already saw Tony and gave him a hug and a handshake to let him know that everything is okay. I want to tell you that you look beautiful. This is going to be a great day and everything will go just the way you like. Just remember to breathe for both you and your little passenger."

Sam had to laugh at the way Elizabeth called her baby a passenger so Danny wouldn't find out till his mother was ready to tell him. Elizabeth gave them both a hug and Danny gave Lizzie a high five.

"I can see that Danny really loves his Lizzie. He doesn't do the high five for just anyone."

"He is just the sweetest young man around. I am so glad that we get to share him with you and Tony. See you downstairs." Elizabeth gave Danny one more hug and high five and left the young son and his mother.

Everyone got into their seats and watched the procession of the bridesmaids, maid of honor and ring bearer. When Danny was finished, all eyes were towards the back when Sam walked into the room. The bridal march started playing and Sam walked towards her future with Tony.

Jason gave everyone a big surprise by having Spinelli come down to officiate the nuptials. He was ordained on-line which makes sense because he was always on-line. He made a great minister and soon the two of them were married. Tony's mother was not happy that she was not allowed to invite all of her friends. Tony's father was proud that he saw his son stick up for his future wife and himself. He really liked Samantha and he hoped that one day, his wife would bend enough that their son would stay in their lives.

They said their vows and exchanged rings. When that was done, Spinelli announced to everyone, I would love to introduce you to the new Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Leone.

They went into the next room where the reception was being held. Julian came in and sat in the back. He was still in contact with his daughter but didn't want to spoil her big day by getting into an argument with Alexis. Sam said that he could stay and also invited him to the reception.

There was plenty of room there for everyone and the everyone including Mrs. Leone was happy. Tony looked at his mother and smiled. She smiled back and tried to blink back the tears. Tony went up to his mother and the two of them danced. They talked out their problems on the dance floor and both felt better by the time the dance was done.

Julian and Sam danced together for the Father-Daughter Dance. There was not a dry tear anywhere after that dance. Everyone was on the dance floor dancing. Danny also danced with his mother and they both laughed when Tony cut in on them. Tony picked up Danny and the three of them danced on the dance floor. Danny got down and ran towards Lizzie so his mother could dance with her new husband.

When they were calling the last dance, it was also midnight. The old year was over and the new year was about to begin. Hello 2016 and goodbye 2015.


	10. Chapter 10

Today was the start of the new year, 2016. Everyone was excited to see what the new year would bring for everyone. Last night, the end of 2015 was the beginning for Sam and Tony. They were now somewhere nice and warm celebrating their honeymoon.

The trip to Florida was fun for everyone and they all had a great time. The hotel that they all stayed at had everything they could want and more. The boys had a blast at Disney and were excited to be going back home to tell their friends about their Christmas break.

Tony and Sam came to meet them at their hotel to pick up Danny. All of his things had already been sent home. The year was just about finished for Tony and soon they were going to move up to Massachusetts to start his career with New England.

Sam hoped that they could find a really good school for Danny and that she could continue her studies too. The fact that she was expecting was just the cherry on top of a very wonderful and hectic cake.

Aiden talked to his father a couple times a week. Lucky wanted to make sure that he was doing well in school and that Aiden knew he loved him. Michelle was going to be a great stepmother like Jason would be a great stepfather.

All the excitement about their new careers kind of had a double-edge sword. Jason loved his work at the construction company but with his new motorcycle repair and restore business, it would take away from his main business. He loved the place but was at a loss for telling Elizabeth it was too much.

Elizabeth was going to school full time, had three wonderful sons in school plus now an art gallery and interior design business. She didn't have the time for all of it and planning a wedding on top of it. I think the two of them wanted what they thought the other wanted but forgot what they both already had.

"Jason, I have a problem. I am not sure how I will be able to juggle everything that I need to do in order to do it all. I think that I did the same thing to you. What are we going to do? I have always wanted an art gallery but I need to finish my schooling first so I can have a better shot of making good financial decisions. I can trust that Becky will be there for me but I don't want all of that responsibility on her. I love interior design but the art gallery part is the one part that I would love to keep open. I can always go back to that or at least keep my skills up in case we want to remodel."

"I think that I would love the restoring part of my business and I will keep that. The repair part of the business will have to wait or I could get a partner to do that side. This way I can make my own hours and I don't have to let anyone down. When I have enough of them restored, I could always sell them to make room for more. I do want to tell you that I love the way you designed my shop. It is so cool looking. I might need to find a partner who loves to do both and will help me work on that. I don't want to give it up, but I will have to be fair to my first business and that is the construction business."

"Okay, I think we have it figured out. The boys go back to school tomorrow and I go back to school tomorrow night. I did change my classes to on-line classes and I think that it will make it a little easier. I guess tomorrow, Becky and I will have to have a long talk."

Now that they had everything out in the open, they both felt better. The boys were ready to go back to school. Elizabeth noticed that Cam seemed a little sad and she thought it was because of Emma. She went over to talk to him about it.

"Cam, come over here. There has been so much going on that I didn't even ask you if you had a good time or not in California."

"Mom, I think that Emma has found a boyfriend over in California. She talked to both Spencer and myself and said that she wants us all to stay friends but it could be nothing more. She thinks of both of us as more family than a romantic interest. What can I do with that?"

"Okay. First of all, the whole thing about being a family thing means she doesn't want to hurt your feelings. She loves you but not in the way that you or Spencer would want her too. I think that the two of you would fight over her forever and this is her way of giving you back your friendship. I see how the two of you compete about everything but now it can be like it was when you were younger. Emma, she has it hard because she lives far away from both of you. She is also in a new town and learning to adjust to the Californian way of things. She needs this time to decide what she wants and that is the best thing that any of you can do. You care about her and she cares about you. Leave it that way. When she comes to town to see her grandmother, you can show her all the different things that have happened to this town since she left. She will love you doing something like that for her. Just remember, you will always have her as your best friend."

That evening, everyone was doing their own thing to get ready for school to start again. A new year and a new semester.

Aiden talked to his father and Michelle before going to bed. He put on his pajamas, brushed his teeth and said his prayers. Elizabeth and Jason came in and said good night to the young boy. Elizabeth gave him a kiss on his cheek and made sure there were no monsters in the closet or under the bed.

Jake had taken his shower and got ready for bed. He was playing one of his new games on his laptop when his parents came into his room. "Jakey, don't forget to brush your teeth and say your prayers. We love you very much. If you need us, you know where we will be."

The last room was for Cameron. Elizabeth smiled at her oldest and could see that he was still talking to Emma. She was glad that Cam realized that Emma was only trying to do the best she could for all three of them. He was excited about going back to school and hoped that he would find someone that liked him and he liked back. Elizabeth hugged her son and said good-night to him.

Jason and Elizabeth realized how blessed they were to have such a great family. Elizabeth was thinking about Sam and her having a baby with Tony. She hoped that when all of this calmed down and they were married that she would have one more baby. She wanted a little girl so she could have at least one more female in the house.

They two of them were exhausted from the holidays and looked forward to going to work the next day. Elizabeth went into the bathroom and started a nice hot bubble-bath. She had a few candles, a glass of wine and soft music playing. She took off her clothes and laid in the tub.

Jason had gone to look out at the balcony. He saw the stars and the moon and felt at peace. He knew that he had his family watching over them and then he saw one of the stars twinkling at him. He felt that it was Emily telling him to go warm up in Elizabeth's bubble bath.

Jason walked into their bedroom and stripped down. He slid in behind Elizabeth in their tub. He was so cold when he went in and Elizabeth let out a little cry. "You are too cold. What are you doing?"

"I am trying to warm up. I went to look out at the sky and I saw a twinkle from one of the stars. I think it was Emily telling me to go get warm in your tub. I know that she is your best friend, but that is what she told me to do. How can I go against her when she told me to do that?"

"You are too funny but at least you are warming up a little bit. Lean back and you can see the stars from here. That is what I like to do. It is a lot safer and a lot warmer here."

The two of them gave her other a nice rub down and went into the shower to rinse off. Jason knew how to angle the showerhead so it hit them both the right way. They rinsed off and then Jason pinned Elizabeth against the wall and had his way with her. They were both very hot by the time they were out of the shower and also very clean.

They got into the pajamas and went to lie down for the night. Danny had talked to his father earlier but didn't get a chance to say good night to Lizzie. He got on his e-mail and sent her a cute message thanking her and telling her good night. Lizzie wrote back that she loved him and hoped that he would enjoy school when he went back the next day.

The morning came faster than anyone anticipated. Elizabeth got her sons up and got them ready for school. Their cook already made their lunches and had their drinks ready when she fixed them a good hearty breakfast. The boys loved their cook. She made the best French toast and also had extra syrup on it for them.

Jason and Elizabeth had a couple of pieces and some coffee. Jason was taking Cameron to school and then going to his construction company. Elizabeth was taking Jake and Aiden to school and then over to the art gallery.

When the boys were dropped off, Jason and Liz headed into work. Jason was going to go by the repair shop later that day. Elizabeth had to talk to both Becky and Kerri at the art gallery.

"Okay, I am not sure how to say this but I am only going to be concentrating on the art gallery and my schooling. I am going to get my bachelor's in business management so I know a little more about the finances that are needed to run the gallery. I love interior design but I can't do both and also plan a wedding. My plate is way too full. I also have three boys at home and they need my attention too. I also seemed to do this to my fiancée, Jason. I wanted him to have a great gift for Christmas but we both forgot about our other obligations. I am keeping you both here so don't worry about that. I have the finances to take care of us just not the time to be able to keep both businesses going at the same time."

"Francis, Johnny and Joe, I need to speak to you. Elizabeth and I have been speaking and we both seemed to want too much for the other. I should have only done the art gallery part for her and not the interior design company too. I love the construction company and I know that you all have your jobs that you love here. I am trying to figure out what to do about my repair and restore shop. The restore part would be easier for me because I can go at my own pace. The repair shop is something that you have to have time for and I don't have that. I am not sure if I want to lease that part out or just turn the whole thing into a restoring company and keep the repair side for the parts I need to restore the motorcycles. If you have anything that you would like to ask me, go ahead."

"I was just wondering that myself but you and Elizabeth just seemed like you really wanted to give the other the best present. Diane and I should have told you to tone it down but we couldn't because you both were so excited. I think that the both of you are doing what you can do and that is fine. I think that the two of you would have been overwhelmed if you didn't talk about it first. I am glad that you did."

"Okay, I guess we don't need this big of an office then if it is just the art gallery. We could turn part of this office into something else. We could have a little gift area or a place that someone could wrap up the portraits while they wait."

"I want to thank you for the great little house that you helped Holly and I get into. It is perfect for the two of us. The best part is it is just up the street from here, so I could walk to and from work. Holly will be able to take the bus like the regular kids and she will be just a regular kid at school. This means more to me than you can know."

"I love the work that you have done for the shelter. You are the best person to show us what the shelters in our areas need. You have been there and so you would have firsthand knowledge to know what worked and what didn't. I also would love to show your work so that maybe you could supplement your way back into doing art full-time."

"Becky, I also know that your hours have to be the same as your children. I think that 9-3 would be great hours. I know that is only thirty hours but if you want, you can stay or you can come in on weekends. The other thought was bringing the kids here when school lets out. That would be the same for you Kerri. My children get out at different times and I know that Jake and Aiden will be spending a lot of time here but I think that Cam would either go straight home or hang out with his dad."

Jason was spending the day at the construction company. It was the first chance he really had since before the Christmas holiday to see what was going on and what needed to do be done. There was one flip that they were working on before the holiday that Jason was really excited about. It was a four-bedroom house not far from the waterfront. It was in older areas of town that was being revitalized and Jason knew that who-ever bought it would be very happy.

Joe, Francis and Johnny had come into the main office to talk about the new project.

"I want to thank you for believing in me. I was about to get out and I had no idea what I was going to do. My son, Charles always talked about his best friend Jake to me and now I realize just how much of a friendship the two of them have. Charles told me that your son, Jake didn't want anything for Christmas but to help other children in town have a better one. Your son is someone you should be very proud of. I know that sometimes it was hard for Charles to always have a smile on his face when he went to school. There were some kids that made fun of him because he didn't get wear fancy clothes or have a lot of things that all the other children have. He had just about given up when Jake showed up. Jake was someone that kids made fun of too because of what happened to him. He was gone for four years and they told him that he should have stayed gone. Charles stuck up for him and the two bonded. I am not sure if Jake told you that but Charles told me because he really thought your son was cool. He didn't let it bother him until one day. It was a few months ago when the kids started in on my son. Jake was not having it that day. When Jake stood up for Charles, they went after him. They called him names and told him to mind his own business. One of the boys went after Jake and Jake laid him out. The teacher saw and heard the whole thing and when the boy's parents came into complain, the teacher showed the video of their son bullying both my son and Jake. The parents realized that the problem was with their son and not yours. Jake probably didn't tell you about that because he didn't want you to get mad about that but I think that you should know that your son doesn't mind sticking up for others and that he can take care of himself. I am sorry, I shouldn't be saying all this because your son might be embarrassed but I think that he deserves to know that he is a great kid. You are a very lucky father to have him as your son. I am very lucky to have three great kids and adoring wife. I want you to know that I will do my best for you and your company. Thank you for this chance you have given me."

Jason just looked at Joe and didn't know what to say at first. "Joe, before we go giving all this thanks and praise to me and my son, there is something that you should know about how I feel about you. To me, you are the hero. It must have been hard leaving your wife and family to go defend our country. You have my support for working here and if you go into reserves then you will still have a job here. Protecting our country is something that should not be taken lightly or for granted. I know that a lot of people have been doing that lately but I can truly say that I am not one of them. I know that you will do a great job here and that you have a fine son in Charles. Jake has told me some of the things that has happened and I have spoken to his teacher on several occasions. She has always been very nice and she tells you like it is. When Jake defends Charles or Charles defends Jake, she has no problem with that but if they strike out just to hurt someone, then she will tell punish them just as she should. The two of them like to talk to each other a lot and sometimes they get to be too much and she has to separate them but it is usually one for a day or two and we get a letter telling us about it. I am not sure if your wife filled you in on those things but I have to laugh because I was like that when I was younger. They will hopefully grow out of that stage soon.

The four of them looked at the floor plans of several of the houses that they were working on. Jason sent pictures and floor plans to Elizabeth to see if she could see what they should do for the interior.

Elizabeth received the pictures and took a look at them on her laptop. She looked at the dimensions for the rooms and also the area in which they were being flipped. She had ideas on two of them and went upstairs to her interior design office. Becky and Kerri followed her up there to see what she was doing.

The computer that she had upstairs had all the different floor plans and work that she had done on the other homes they flipped. Becky recognized hers right away. She looked at the different styles that were out there and she knew what to do with them. She asked Becky and Kerri if they would like to go see the houses now and see how they would change them around.

"Jason, can you meet me at the four-bedroom house on Maple Street. The girls and I want to go look at it before we send you any ideas."

"Yeah, I will have Joe come with me too and maybe Johnny."

Elizabeth pulled up about the same time that Jason did to the house that they were flipping. Jason opened the door and they could see how much work needed to be done. Two of the bedrooms were really on the small side.

"I am thinking that these two small bedrooms can be turned into a really nice master suite. The bathroom is right next to it and you can update that bathroom and the first bedroom. Part of the bedroom could be the walk-in closet for the master suite and the rest of the bedroom can be used for the bathroom. The second bedroom would be opened to the first bedroom. Or you could have one of the bedrooms as an office and then the other bedroom could be a storage room."

Becky then looked at the same two rooms and thought that the master suite idea was a good one too. Kerri also agreed and the guys loved it. Johnny took one look at Kerri and was in love. She also was from Ireland and had a slight accent due to being in the states for over half of her life. She had the red hair and big blue eyes. She was a sight and he knew it.

Becky had fun helping figure out what to do with the flips. She knew that the putting the right people together at the right time was important if you needed help and also a way to give your family and yourself a better life. She loved the money end of things but she also realized that she liked the creating part too.

Kerri also like the creating part but the money part was not her thing. She loved art and visualizing was an important part of it. Elizabeth realized that maybe she was thinking the wrong way at her shop. She talked to the guys to see if they could go with the interior design shop part first and maybe later on down the line she could have the art gallery. It was not like she really had time to paint so interior design would be the way for her to express herself.

The men agreed with the women to redo the shop and have it just for interior design and the art gallery would be put on hold. They also agreed about the two bedrooms be turned into the master suite. Jason loved that Elizabeth could walk into a house and figure out what needed to be done.

They all went back to their offices and then called it a day. Kerri was happy to see Holly when she was finished. They had their own place and she knew that with Elizabeth's help that she was going to be able to have a bigger place for her and her daughter.

Becky was excited because she realized that she was learning with Elizabeth, she was going to be able to do on her own. She didn't want to do right away but she wanted to see if she had the talent and if she did, then maybe her and Joe could have their own business. They would just have to move their family somewhere else so they could flip homes without being competition with the people who helped them get their start.


End file.
